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INDUSTRIAL  ARTS 


I\  OUR 


ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOLS 


BY 


A.  H.  EDGERTON 

Assistant  Professor,  School  of  Education 
Indiana  University 


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The  Manual  Arts  Press 

PEORLA,  ILLINOIS 


52083 


Copyright,   1922 

A.  H.   EDGERTON 

12F22 


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PREFACE 


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1 


IT  IS  only  natural  that  all  true  Amer- 
icans should  be  proud  of  our  demo- 
cratic claim  that  tree  education  is  provid- 
ed in  each  public  rural  and  urban  school  in 
the  United  States.  However,  our  taith  in 
this  boast  cannot  carry  much  conviction, 
either  with  ourselves  or  with  others,  un- 
less the  elementary  schools  are  seriously 
concerned  with  those  human  activities 
that  contribute  most  in  preparing  for  the 
many-sided  demands  which  confront  all 
intelligent  consumers  and  worthy  citizens. 
If  our  elementary  industrial  arts  courses 
are  to  continue  to  occupy  an  important 
place  in  the  program  tor  elementary  edu- 
cation, they  must  soon  be  subjected 
to  the  same  general  tests  and  judged  by 
the  same  high  standards  that  apply  to 
the  other  elementary  school  subjects. 
The  relative  possibilities  in  the  different 
plans  for  realizing  common  objectives  also 
must  be  determined  more  scientificalh- 
than  heretotore. 

These  brief  reports  dealing  with  the 
various  units  of  elementary  industrial 
arts  work  and  study,  which  were  suc- 
cessfully organized  anci  conducted  by 
Miss  Hunter  and  the  several  other  teach- 
ers named  in  connection  with  their  re- 
spective contributions,  were  collected  tor 
the  1921  Yearbook  by  the  Industrial  Arts 
Committee*  of  the  National  Societv  for 
the  study  of  Education.  Since  it  did 
not  prove  expedient  tor  the  Society  to 
publish  Part  III  of  its  1921  Yearbook, 
which  was  to  have  included  these  sug- 
gestive reports,  it  has  been  recommended 
and  urged  that  this  carefully  planned 
and  tried  material  on  promising  experi- 
ments for  developing  industrial  courses 
and  projects   to   meet   the   psychological 


*This  committee  was  composed  of  I,.  A.  Herr,  G. 
H.  Hargitt  and  A.  H.  Edgerton,  chairman. 


and  social  needs  of  elementary  school 
pupils  should  be  revised  for  publication 
as  a  handbook  for  teachers  of  industrial 
arts  in  elementary  schools.  In  order  that 
all  concerned  might  derive  the  most  help 
trom  these  valuable  units  and  projects, 
it  finally  has  been  decided  to  present 
them  in  connection  with  the  findings  and 
implications  resulting  from  this  investi- 
gation of  141  public  school  systems. 

The  educational  needs  of  today  seem 
to  call  for  instruction  which  aims  (1)  to 
develop  the  pupil's  general  and  special 
capacities  and  (2)  to  prepare  him  tor  the 
demands  which  the  future  is  going  to 
make  upon  him.  But  it  is  obvious  that 
the  early  conception  of  the  rudiments  of 
elementary  education,  involving  some 
skill  in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic, 
altho  still  important,  will  not  begin  to 
suffice  either  in  aiding  pupils  who  con- 
tinue their  school  work  to  choose  their' 
courses  more  wisely  in  secondary  edu- 
cation, or  in  helping  those  who  might 
find  it  acivisable  or  necessary  to  leave 
school  with  a  minimum  amount  of  edu- 
cation to  choose  their  respective  pro- 
cedure more  thotfuUy.  While  it  has  long 
since  been  agreed  that,  if  possible,  chil- 
dren should  be  sufficiently  well  prepared 
in  school  so  that  they  may  exercise  in- 
telligent judgment  in  weighing  values 
and  in  choosing  their  future  courses  of 
study  and  work,  the  traditional  curri- 
culum has  quite  frequently  failed  to 
furnish  those  concrete  experiences  and 
reliable  facts  pertaining  to  the  social, 
the  economic,  and  the  larger  personal 
aspects  of  our  most  important  life  occu- 
pations, all  of  which  could  help  to  make 
this  possibility  a  reality. 

After  reading  these  suggestive  reports 
dealing  with  the  purpose,  content  and 
method  of  various  correlated  units  and 


projects,  all  must  agree  that  the  teachers 
concerned  are  seriously  attempting  to 
adapt  both  the  construction  work  and  the 
subject-matter  to  those  situations  and  re- 
sponses which  promise  most  in  determin- 
ing social  conduct,  thru  the  development 
oj proper  habits,  attitudes,  and  appreciations. 
Readers  desiring  a  more  complete  study 
of  the  development  of  those  fundamental 
principles  for  selection,  and  the  adapta- 
tion of  such  principles  to  elementary 
school  curricula,  are  referred  to  the 
numerous  standard  works,  of  which  Pro- 
fessor F.  G.  Bonser's  "Elementary  School 
Curriculum"  is  perhaps  the  most  directly 
practical.  For  aid  generously  given,  I 
wish  to  thank  the  many  teachers,  super- 


visors, principals,  and  superintendents 
who  co-operated  both  in  collecting  and 
in  checking  these  data  used  as  a  basis 
for  the  comparative  studies  included 
thruout  this  publication.  The  writer 
wishes  to  express  his  indebtedness  to  the 
several  experienced  teachers  who  have 
cheerfully  contributed  the  numerous  brief 
reports  acknowledged  in  the  following 
pages,  and,  in  particular,  this  gratitude 
to  Miss  Rosana  Hunter  of  the  City  Public 
Schools  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  to 
Mr.  L.  A.  Herr  of  The  Lincoln  School, 
New  York  City,  for  valued  assistance 
rendered  in  the  preparation  of  manu- 
script f(jr  the  original  report. 

—A.  H.  E. 


T 


CONTENTS 

I.     Emphasis  ifi  Purpose  attd  Content  page 

1.     General  Purpose  ot  linlusrrial  Experiences  in  141  Systems 7 

Chief  Claims  Reporteil  for  Offering  F.lementary  industrial  Arts 8 

3.  Changing  Tendencies  in  Methods  for  Organizing  and  Conducting  Activities 8 

4.  Proper  Correlation  P.nriches  F.lementary  School  Curriculum 10 

5.  Suggestive  TNpes  of  These  Elementary  Industrial  Arts  Activities. 

(a)  Clothing  and  'I'extiles  (First  Grade) 11 

(b)  Shelter — Wood  (Second  Grade) 12 

(c)  Paper  Making  (Third  Grade) 12 

(d)  Food  (Fourth  Grade) 1.) 

(e)  Metals — Iron  and  Steel  (Fifth  Gratlej 13 

(f)  Brick  Making  (Sixth  Grade) .13 

II.     Correlating  and  Developing  Units  of  Work  and  Study 

1.  Neeti  for  Careful  Stuth'  ami  Impartial  Experimentation ,15 

2.  Contributions  to  and  from  Closely  Related  Subjects  in  Curriculum  15 

3.  Reports  on  Successfully  Developed  Correlations. 

(a)  Making  a  Home  (Grade  I) .  17 

(b)  Clothing  and  Textiles  (Grades  I  and  II) .  17 

(c)  F'oods  and  Textiles  (Grades  I  and  II) 17 

(d)  Illustrative  Projects  (Grade  III) 18 

(e)  Related  Projects  (Grade  III) 19 

(f)  Shelter  and  Food  (Grade  IV) 19 

(g)  Illustrative  Projects  (Grade  IV  and  V) 20 

(h)  Correlated  Food  Project  (Cjrade  V) 20 

(i)    Class  Projects  (Grade  VI) 21 

(j)    Stimulating  a  Study  of  Architecture  (Grade  \'I) 21 

4.  Relation  between  Construction  Problems  and  Intellectual  Content 21 

III.     Methods  of  Offeriiig  Project-Frohleni  Jnstruetion 

1.  Industrial  Experiences  Involve   Three  Closely  Related  Elements 23 

2.  Project-Problem  Method  of  Learning  and  of  Industrial  Arts  Instruction 23 

3.  Brief  Reports  on  Successful  Industrial  Arts  Projects  and  Problems. 

(A)  Types  of  First,  Second,  and  Third  Grade  Work. 

fa)   A  Playhouse  Project  (Grade  I) 24 

(b)  Books  and  Other  Records  (Grade  II) 25 

(c)  Corn  Project  (Grade  II) 25 

(d)  Pottery  and  Chinaware  (Grade  III) 25 

(e)  Concurrent  Relations  of  the  Shop  and  .Academic  Subjects  (Grade  HI)    .  26 

(B)  Types  of  Fourth,  Fifth,  and  Sixth  Grade  Work. 

(a)  Individual  Projects  ((irade  I\') 26 

(b)  Class  Projects  (Grade  I\') 27 

(c)  Food  Project — Difference  between  b'lours  (Grade  \') 27 

(d)  Illustrative  Projects  (Grade  V) 27 

(e)  Related  Projects  (Grade  V) 28 

(f)  Making  Vases  of  Clay  (Grade  V!) 28 

(g)  Clothing  (Grade  VI) 29 

4.  \'ariability  in  Methods  of  .Approaching  and  Offering  Imiustrial  Studies .'0 

5.  Preparation  for  and  Supervision  of  Elementary  Iniiustrial  .Arts  Instruction 31 

6.  General  Summary 31 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 

I.   Emphasis  in  Purpose  and  Content 

GENERAL  PURPOSE  OF  INDUSTRIAL  merelv  making  even   useful  and  service- 

EXPERIENCES  IN   141   SYSTEMS  ^^^^  products.      It  these  activities  are  to 

OUR   most   progressive   public   school  continue   to  occup\'   an   important  place 

systems  now  recognize  the  import-  in   the  elementary  school  program,  it  is 

ant  need  tor  properly  presenting,  organiz-  believed  by  many  that  they  will  be  ex- 

ing,  and  offering  industrial  arts  activities  pected   to   share   the   responsibility   with 

in  the  tirst  six  grades  of  school  experience,  other  subjects   tor  he/ping  pupils  to  de- 

This   notable   tendency   of  the   past   few  velop    appreciative    insight   and  reasoning 

years  undoubtedly  is  due  in  part  to  the  ability  i>i  terms  of  significant  interests  and 

marked  change  in  the  purpose,  content,  actual  life  needs.     Both   psychology   and 

and  method  of  the  industrial  work  now  experience  have  taught  us  that  children 

given  as  a  means  ot  developing  general  trom  six  to  twelve  years  ot  age  are  mainly 

intelligence    and    knowledge    of    the    in-  concerned  with  the  activities  and  situa- 

dustries     during     the     elementary-school  tions  in  which  adults  are  engaged,  rather 

period  in  much  ot  the  best  public  school  than    in    series   ot    exercises,    models,    or 

curricula.     At  least,   this   is   the   verdict  pieces  of  an  abstract  nature.     Then,  too, 

of  a  large  majority  (117)  of  the  141  pro-  it  is  a  generally  accepted  fact  today  that 

gressive  school  systems   which   have  re-  extended  repitition  of  the  same  operations 

ported  recently  from   19  different  states  and  processes  causes  children  of  this  age 

on  the  industrial  activities  now  being  ex-  to  lose  interest  in  their  work  and  also  to 

perienced    by    their    elementary    school  gain  a  larger  amount  ot  technic  in  the  use 

pupils.  of  hand  tools  than  is  commensurate  with 

■     While  the  emphasis  in   the  work  and  the  relative  value  of  the  time  and  energy 

study   in    these   elementary   grades    (one  expended.     Altho  the  importance  ot  skill 

to    six,    inclusive)    differs    somewhat    in  or  ciexterity  is  tully  recognized  as  a  factor 

keeping  with  the  various  types  of  schools  in  general  elementary  education,  results 

investigated,  iTable  I   and  Fig.   I    make  of  several  experiments  and  observations, 

it   evident    that   those   courses   which   atr  which  will  be  given  later  in  these  chapters, 

designed  for  studying  present-day   indus-  clearly  inciicate  that  either  one  of  these 

tries  in  an  elementary  way.,  in  order  that  will  prove  of  most  value  when  vitalized 

boys    and  girls    may    be    more    intelligent  thru     those     concrete     experiences     that 

and   appreciative    of  the    conditions.,    ma-  stimulate  thinking  and  actually  relate  to 

terials.,  processes,  and  methods  involved  in  the  needs  of  everyday  life. 
manufacturing   the    products    observed    in 
everyday  life,  are  rapidly  replacing  the  so- 
called  ''busy  work"  or  handwork  courses, 

many  of  which  have  had  the  doing  and  In    the  reports   from   these   141   school 

making  of  things   as   their  primary   aim  systems,    each    ot    which    gave    its    main 

or  purpose.  reason  for  offering  industrial  work  in  the 

This    investigation    and    a    number   of  elementary  school,  the  four  leading  claims, 

recent   school    surveys    make    it   evident  when  collated,  were  found  to  be  given  the 

that  the  larger  values  in  elementary  in-  order  ot   importance  shown   in   Table   I, 

dustrial  arts  cannot  be  realized  alone  by  which  follows: 

7 


CHIEF  CLAIMS   REPORTED   FOR  OFFERING 
ELEMENTARV  INDUSTRIAL  ARTS 


INDUSTRI.-IL  JRTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


ITEM  NUMBER 

TABLE  I.     Listing  the  Chief  Reason  for  Offering  Industrial  Arts  Instruction  in  the  First  Six  Grades 
of  Each  of  141  Public  School  S}-stenis. 

1.  Giving  a  basis  tor  judgment  in  the  selection  and  use  of  industrial  products  and  service 51 

2.  Developing  an  appreciation  for  the  economic  and  social  phases  of  industry 39 

3.  Gaining  sufficient  experience  in  industrial  processes  to  meet  the  pupil's  needs'^md  to  illustrate 

the  industry 32 

4.  Vitalizing  geography,  history,  arithmetic,  oral  and  written  expression,  and  other  subjects  in  the 

curriculum 19 

Total  Number  Reported , 141 

Altho  it  was  discov^ered  that  in  a  few  necessarily    so    graded    that    the    simple 

cases  these  claims  were  expressions  of  fut-  phases  of  industrial  experience  and  study 

ure  plans  rather  than  the  present  status  may   be   developed   in    the   lower  grades 

and  conduct  of  the  work,   nevertheless,  (one,  two  and  three)  and  the  more  coir- 

only  about  six  per  cent  of  these  public  plex  phases  taken  up  in  the  higher  grades 

school  systems  have  made  practically  no  (four,  five,  and  six). 

changes    in    the    methods    of    organizing  The  composite  of  the  individual  reports 

and  conducting  their  elementary  Indus-  in    this    investigation,    as    tabulated    in 

trial    work    during    the   past    few    years.  Table  I,  shows  that  the  purpose  of  the 

On   the  other  hand,  over  eighty  per  ce>it  elementary  industrial  arts  in  an  increas- 

of  these  school  systems  show  every  evidence  ing  number  of  these  schools  is  to  provide 

of  having  undergone  desirable  reorganiza-  a   background  of   experience   and   know- 

tion  in  methods  and  procedure.  ledge,   using   v^arious   types   of  materials 

that  will  enable  the  pupils  to  appreciate 

CHANGING  TENDENCIES  IN  METHODS   FOR  ,  ,  ,      ,  '^ .      .  .    , 

and  understand  those  mdustrial  processes 

ORGANIZING    AND    CONDUCTING    ACTIVITIES  ,  i  r         ,  i  i  t-i 

that  supply  fundamental  needs.  1  he 
Industrial  arts  as  an  elementary  school  subject-matter  is,  therefore,  in  the  main, 
subject  has  been  well  defined  as  "the  found  in  a  consideration  of  how  man's 
distilled  experience  of  man  in  his  resolu-  food,  clothing,  shelter,  utensils,  tools, 
tion  of  natural  materials  to  his  needs  for  machines,  and  other  utilities  are  provided, 
creature  comfort,  to  the  end  that  he  may  Fig.  I  gives  the  total  number  and  per 
more  richly  live  his  spiritual  life."  This  cent  of  the  141  school  systems  offering 
resolution  of  natural  materials  to  man's  instruction  in  each  type  of  industrial  ex- 
needs  involves  the  study  of  our  great  in-  perience  reported.  The  materials  of  study 
dustrial  life.  With  advancing  civiliza-  ordinarily  used  are  clay,  wood,  metal, 
tion  a  highly  specialized  industrial  system  food,  textiles,  paper,  and  the  like.  Aside 
has  been  developed.  The  finished  prod-  from  the  kind  of  work  already  indicated, 
ucts  by  which  the  needs  of  man  are  sup-  opportunity  also  is  usually  given  for  con- 
plied  are  the  results  of  complicated  manu-  structive  work  from  the  standpoint  of 
facturing  processes.  By  means  of  these  free  expression  at  such  stated  times  as 
processes  the  raw  materials  of  industry  Hallowe'en,  Christmas,  Easter,  and  as 
are  transformed  into  the  many  finished  other  occasions  dictate, 
products  of  varying  quality  and  value  Manipulative  work  frequently  is  given 
required   by   man.     The   school   work   is  inajor  emphasis,  as  far  as  the  pupils  are 

1  c     ^11    •         "c     J  t  ^'  1       •    T  J  concerned,  for  it  is  believed  bv  a  majoritv 

bee  Bulletin  on     I'undamental  Values  in  Indus-  '  .  j         . 

trial  Education,"  Teachers  College,  Columbia  Uni-      (92.7  per  cent)  of  the  teachers  concerned 
varsity,  Publication.  that     the    knowledge    and    appreciati-in 


EMPHASIS  IN  PURPOSE  AND  CONTENT 


most   vital    to    their    boys   and   girls   are  the   time   the  child   reaches   the  seventh 

secured  in   this  way.     Nevertheless,  un-  grade   (1)    that   he  should   have  a   tairly 

due  stress  need  not  be  placed  upon  this  clear   but   general   understanding  of   the 

phase  of  the  work  \i //le  p?'oi^Iems  and  pro-  production    in    the    important   industries 

jecls  challenge  mental  as   well  as   nuviual  which   are   being  carried  on   about   him; 


110   120   130   140 


SHELTKR  AND 
FUTiNTTrRE 


TKXTILES  AND 
CLOTHING 


FOOD  AND  ALLIED 
ACTIVITIES 


PAPER  AND  PRINT 
FD  PRODUCTS 


POTTERY  AVD  OTHER 
EARTHEN  PRODUCTS 


TOOLS,  MACHINES  & 
OTHER  UTILITIES 


HANDWORK  AS  SUCH 

f  BASKETRY,  WEAVING)! 


FIGURE  I.  This  Chart  Shows  the  Relative  Number 
and  Per  cent  of  These  141  School  Systems  which 
Offer  Instruction  in  Each  Type  of  Industrial 
Experience  Reported. 


activity.  The  experience  to  date  indi- 
cates that  a  maximum  ot  time  preferably 
is  given  to  elementary  studies  of  the 
various  industries,  and  that  manipulative 
work  should  occur  whenever  it  aids  most 
in  an  understanding  of  the  industry  or 
in  making  the  subject  more  interesting. 
It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  actual 
"try  out"  courses  for  specialized  inter- 
ests and  aptitudes,  as  such,  may  well  be 
taken  up  intensively  in  grades  above  the 
sixth."  Several  of  these  teachers  state 
they  believe  it  is  desirable,  however,  by 


"  Edgerton,  A.H.  "Intlustrial  Arts  arul  Prevoca- 
tional  Education  in  Our  Intermediate  and  Junior 
High  Schools,"  Industrial  Arts  Magazine,  October, 
1921. 


(2)  that  he  should  know  something  of" 
the  persons  that  are  engaged  in  these  in- 
dustrial pursuits;  and  (.^0  that  he  should 
be  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  pos- 
sibilities that  are  open  to  him  in  such 
occupations.  Questions  concerning  sources 
anci  preparation  of  materials,  manufactur- 
ing processes,  anti  the  character  and  lives 
of  the  workers  arise  in  a  natural  way, 
and,  where  these  are  given  proper  atten- 
tion, will  contribute  materially  to  an  in- 
telligent understanding  of  present-day  in- 
dustry. Kxcursions,  moving  pictures,  ex- 
hibits, selected  readings,  and  discussions 
likewise  become  important  factors  in  the 
cievelopment  of  this  phase  of  the  study- 
Leon  L.  Winslow,  who  is  specialist  in 


u 


10 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


drawing  and  industrial  training  for  the 
New  York  State  Department  of  Educa- 
tion, has  stated  clearly  the  relation  which 
might  well  exist  between  the  elementary 
industrial  arts,  the  so-called  fine  arts, 
and  other  school  subjects,  as  follows: 

For  the  purpose  of  organization,  most  of  the  draw- 
ing (art)  and  construction  work  done  in  schools 
falls  to  the  subject  of  industrial  arts,  not  because 
it  is  a  manual  subject  but  rather  because  it  is  an 
industrial  subject  and  because  industry  deals  more 
with  drawing  and  construction  than  do  history  or 
geography  or  arithmetic.  As  phases  of  school  life, 
drawing  and  construction  are  at  the  disposal  of  all 
school  studies,  but  the  time  has  gone  by  when 
drawing  and  manual  training  can  be  advantageous- 
ly regarded  as  separate  subjects  in  the  elementary 
school  course.  Either  one  is  but  a  part  of  the  sub- 
ject which  it  is  intended  to  clarify  and  intensify. 
We,  therefore,  choose  to  form  the  new  subject  of  in- 
dustrial arts  by  combining  drawing  and  construc- 
tion with  an  educative  subject-matter  relating  to 
industry. 

When  the  industry  is  once  chosen,  the  class  is 
put  to  work  investigating  it,  collecting  information 
from  all  possible  sources.  Much  of  the  material  is 
obtained  thru  actual  contact  with  those  engaged 
in  it  or  who  handle  its  protiuct.  .Some  facts  will 
be  gleamed  from  reference  books.  The  topics  to 
be  considered  will  depend  upon  the  information 
available  and  the  ability  of  the  class.  The  follow- 
ing outline  is  helpful  in  considering  what  may  con- 
stitute the  subject-matter  in  each  industry  studied: 
(1)  The  value  of  the  industry  to  man;  how  we  are 
affected  by  it,  (2)  The  evolution  of  the  industry; 
its  story,  its  heroes  of  invention  (history),  (3) 
Characteristics  of  the  product;  what  constitutes 
excellence.  (4)  Materials  employed,  where  they  come 
from,  (geography),  (5)  Processes  involved,  (6)  Tools 
used,  (7)  Healthfulness  (hygiene),  (8)  Hours  and 
wages,  (9)  The  training  of  the  workers,  (10)  The 
part  played  in  the  industry  by  arithmetic,  (11) 
The  part  played  by  drawing  and  design,  (12)  Ref- 
erences to  the  industry  found  in  literature,  (13) 
The  industry  as  depicted  in  art. 

The  subject-matter  of  industrial  arts  includes 
such  of  the  principles  of  art  as  are  involved  con- 
tinually ill  each  industry  as  it  is  taken  up.  Master- 
pieces in  painting  and  sculpture  considered  as 
records  made  by  man  at  various  times  and  under 
varying  conditions,  will  be  treated  from  the  aes- 
thetic side,  jirimarily.  Art  instruction  will  be 
amply  provided  for,  and  yet  art  will  not  be  con- 
sidered, as  it  has  sometimes  been  in  the  past,  as 
an  end  in  itself 


The  handwork  is  based  up>on  the  subject-matter 
studied  and  its  two  kinds:  (1)  Drawing,  including, 
color,  representation  and  design;  (2)  construction, 
including  the  preparation  and  combination  of  ma- 
terials. All  projects  are  considered  as  means  of 
expressing  ideas  and  feelings  gotten  from  a  study 
of  the  activities  and  not  merely  as  pieces  of  hand- 
work to  go  along  with  the  various  studies.  Hand- 
work should  Iways  result  from  a  definite  purpose 
calhng  for  it. 3 

In  a  few  of  the  schools  investigated  a 
special  arrangement  has  been  made  for 
the  pupils  from  about  eight  to  twelve 
years  ol  age  whereby  they  spend  part  of 
their  time  serving  as  "helpers"  or  "as- 
sistants" to  the  older  pupils.  This  plan, 
which  obviously  offers  limited  educa- 
tional value,  is  intended  to  give  the 
younger  children  opportunity  to  acquire 
experience  thru  observation  and  very 
elementary  participation. 

PROPER  CORRELATION   ENRICHES 
ELEMENTARY  SCHOOL  CURRICULUM 

It  is  pointed  out  by  a  number  of  edu- 
cators that  illustrative  handwork  is  not 
necessarily  industrial  arts,  as  the  former 
is  mainly  a  means  of  arousing  interest  in 
and  developing  geography,  history,  and 
other  school  subjects.  That  is,  they  in- 
sist that  this  form  of  activity  rarely  deals 
with  the  study  ot  the  processes  involved 
in  changing  raw  materials  into  more 
valuable  products  in  the  industries,  and, 
consequently,  it  cannot  correctly  be  classi- 
fied as  strictly  industrial  arts  educatioi}^ 

x^ltho  the  name  of  the  study,  after  all, 
is  not  of  first  importance,  there  unquestion- 
ably is  need  in  elementary  education  for 
work  and  study  which  involve  an  elementary 
interpretation  of  the  many  vital  but  com- 
plicated industrial  situations,  cotiditions, 
and  relationships  that  confront  all  citizens 
garments;  pottery  from  the  clay  banks  to  finished 


^  -See  Bulletin  on  ".'\rt  and  Industrial  Arts,"  a 
handbook  for  the  elementary  grade  teachers.  State 
Department  of  Education  publication,  .Alb.my, 
N.   Y. 


EMPHASIS  IN  PURPOSE  AND  CONTENT 


11 


and  consumers,  both  early  and  late  in  life. 
In  this  connection,  the  industrial  arts 
problems  or  projects,  which  are  thought 
out,  planned,  and  developed  by  the 
younger  boys  and  girls,  iindoubtetlly 
should  be  illustrative,  at  least,  in  so  tar 
as  the  illustrations  help  to  develop  the 
study  of  industries.  At  any  rate,  one 
]  striking  feature  observed  more  and  more 
in  the  elementary  industrial  arts  classes 
is  the  fact  that  this  subject  correlates 
easily  and  naturally  with  the  rest  ot  the 
school  curricula.  Much  of  this  valuable 
work  and  study  is  being  given  during  the 
history,  geography,  and  reading  periods. 
In  fact,  it  is  frequently  the  case  that  little 
special  time  is  set  aside  for  this  industrial 
arts  work  in  flexible  school  programs,  be- 
cause it  is  so  closely  interwoven  with  such 
subjects  as  those  just  mentioned.  In 
order  to  realize  the  most  value  from  these 
studies,  however,  it  becomes  necessary 
for  each  grade  teacher  to  so  aquaint  her- 
self with  a  knowledge  of  the  important 
industries  that  she  can  seize  the  oppor- 
tunity to  effectively  correlate  the  indus- 
trial arts  with  the  other  related  school 
^.^ibjects. 

'^  Professor  F.  G.  Bonser  ol  Teachers 
College,  Columbia  University,  has  called 
our  attention  forcefully  to  this  pn^nising 
tendency  in  elementary  education  as 
follows: 

Nor  only  are  values  developed  in  relationship  to 
the  industries  themselves,  but  the  immediate  real, 
tangible  materials  of  these  activities  ami  interests 
centering  in  everyday  use  create  the  needs  for  and 
the  problems  in  most  of  the  other  school  subjects. 
They  make  appreciable  a  reason  for  arithmetic  and 
geography  and  history./  Vitally  inherent  in  them 
lie  the  problems  of  hygiene  and  sanitation.  Much 
of  nature  study  and  science  have  their  very  reason 
for  existence  as  school  studies  in  the  industrial 
problems  whose  solution  is  dependent  upon  them. 
(^Indeed,  the  study  of  the  industries  vieweil  aright 
is  the  very  foundation  upon  which  any  effective 
organization  of  elementary  education  must  be 
based  or  it  will  be  abstract  and  remote  from  lite. 
By  the  study  of  clothing  materials  antl  processes 
from  the  raw  textile  fibers  to  finisheii  fabrics  and 


china  ami  other  earthenwares;  shelter  from  the 
forest  to  completed  dwelling  houses  and  their 
furnishings;  or  from  quarry  and  mine  to  completed 
stone,  concrete  and  steel  edifices,  large  and  small; 
books  from  the  paper  mill  to  the  publisher's  sales- 
room; and  all  of  the  various  important  fields  of 
industrial  production  from  raw  materials  to  finished 
products,  from  simple,  primitive  methods  to  the 
complex  machinofacture  of  the  twentieth  century, 
— by  such  study  we  have  the  approach  to  almost 
every  phase  of  present-day  life  with  means  for  in- 
terpreting it  in  terms  of  economic,  esthetic,  civic 
and  social  values.  ''' 

The  proper  teaching  of  the  industrial 
arts,  as  already  outlined,  will  not  only 
enrich  each  closely  related  subject,  but 
these  subjects  in  turn  will  \italize  the 
study  of  industrial  arts. 

SUGGESTIVE    TYPES  OK  THESE 
ELEMENTARY  INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  ACTIVITIES 

The  following  elementary  industrial 
arts  units  were  developed  successfully  in 
■grades  from  one  to  six,  inclusix'e,  under 
the  supervisi(jn  of  Miss  Rosana  Hunter, 
who  formerly  was  an  instructor  of  in- 
dustrial arts  at  Indiana  University  and 
at  present  is  affiliated  with  the  Indian- 
apolis, Indiana,  Public  Schools. 

CLOTHING  AND  TEXTILES 

(First  Grade) 

In  the  first  grade,  the  stutly  of  textiles  was  neces- 
sarily of  a  very  simple  r_\pe.  The  main  object  was 
to  convey  to  the  children  the  idea  that  many  of 
the  useful,  enjo>able  things  in  life  mean  work  upon 
the  part  of  hunilreds  of  people,  and  that  the  prep- 
aration of  clothing  ami  like  material  involves  a 
great  intiustry.  Observation  of  the  clothing  that 
each  child  wore  was  made — how  it  was  made  up 
of  tinv  threads  woven  over  and  under  each  other. 
This  same  thought  was  applied  to  draperies,  linen, 
bed  clothing,  and  other  textiles  used  in  the  homes. 
After  the  children  had  conceived  the  idea  ot  what 
weaving  really  meant,  the  question  was  suggested 
as  to  how  each  tiny  separate  thread  was  made. 
A  simple  study  of  single  threads  of  ravelings  fol- 
lowed.    By  untwisting  and  twisting  again  to  make 


"^Bonser,  Frederick  G.  "Industrial  Education  in 
Present  School  Problems,"  School  and  Society, 
August  26,  1916,  Vol.  IV. 


12 


INDUSTRLiL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


up  a  thread,  the  children  were  led  to  see  that  a 
thread  was  nothing  more  than  a  number  of  fibers 
twisted  around  each  other.  A  story  was  then  told 
of  the  great  factories  where  just  such  twisting  of 
fibers  to  make  threads  was  performed.  Pictures 
were  brought  in  to  help  the  children  realize  that 
such  was  the  case.  All  of  this  finally  led  to  the 
question  as  to  where  the  first  fibers  were  obtained, 
and  stories  of  the  sheep,  flax  and  cotton  were  told. 
The  children  developed  their  own  questions  and 
problems,  and  consequently  were  most  interested 
in  solving  and  answering  them. 

After  the  twisting  of  threads  was  understood,  the 
subject  of  weaving  was  again  taken  up.  Pictures 
were  used  to  show  how  this  was  done  in  large  in- 
dustrial plants.  Manipulation  became  an  import- 
ant part  of  the  work  at  this  period.  Some  small 
looms  were  made  with  the  help  of  the  teacher  by 
fastening  four  pieces  of  wood  securely  together  in 
the  form  of  a  rectangle  and  notching  the  end  pieces 
so  that  the  warp  threads  could  be  strung  around 
them.  Uj^on  these  looms,  the  children  wove  small 
rugs  for  a  doll  house  that  had  been  made  by  the 
older  pupils.  Several  children  worked  upon  the 
same  rug,  for  the  method  of  weaving  and  not  the 
finished  product  was  the  real  object  in  mind.  The 
idea  of  textiles  was  further  carried  out  in  connec- 
tion with  this  doll  house  by  the  making  of  curtains, 
draperies,  and  bed  linen. 

This  work  was  correlated  with  the  story  and 
reading  periods  by  using  the  stories  of  the  life  of 
the  sheep  on  the  ranch,  of  a  cotton  plant,  of  Pippa, 
of  Arachne,  and  numerous  others  of  this  type.  In 
connection  with  the  nature  study  work,  the  oriole's 
nest  was  observed.  The  spider  was  cited  as  a 
weaver,  and  the  suggestion  that  the  caterpillar 
might  be  called  a  weaver  led  to  a  talk  about  the 
silk  worm.  A  window  box  was  obtained  and  flax 
seed  planted.  This  was  watched  with  much  zest 
by  the  children,  and  when  the  plants  matured 
they  took  great  interest  in  seeing  how  the  fiber 
could  be  taken  from  the  plant  and  twisted  into 
threads. 

SHELTER— WOOD 

(Second  Grade) 

A  study  of  the  wood  industry  was  begun  with  a 
socialized  recitation  about  woods  or,  as  we  event- 
ually called  them,  forests.  The  story  of  the  "Pine 
Tree,"  by  Hans  Andersen,  was  told  and  the  chiklren 
were  helped  to  realize  what  was  really  meant  by  a 
forest.  Illustrative  material  in  the  form  of  pictures 
was  abundantly  used,  the  children  bringing  much 
of  this  from  home. 

Eventually  the  pine  tree  was  singled  out  as  a 
type  and  an  elementary  stud>'  was  made  of  it  and 
its   characteristics.     Bv    storv    and    illustrati(jn    its 


life  was  carried  along  from  the  forest  until  it  was 
cut  down  by  the  lumberman  and  brought  to  the 
lumber  mill.  Then  the  following  steps  were  brought 
out,  always  in  a  manner  that  could  be  understood 
by  the  children:  the  cutting  of  the  great  planks 
from  a  log,  the  sawing  and  planing  of  the  plank  in 
the  mill,  the  final  making  of  the  boards  into  houses, 
furniture,  or  other  useful  articles.  The  story  of  the 
carpenter  was  introduced  here  and  carried  out  both 
in  reading  and  in  song.  Illustrative  material  of 
lumber  mills  and  saw  mills  was  constantly  used  to 
impress  upon  the  children  the  idea  that  the  wood 
industr\'  is  an  important  part  of  the  world's  work. 
The  manipulative  part  of  the  work  consisted  of 
the  making  of  a  rather  crude  bird  house  from  ma- 
terial that  the  children  had  brought  in.  The  house 
was  built  for  a  wren,  consequently  it  did  not  call 
for  much  material.  The  project  was  given  the 
finishing  touches  b)-  sand  papering  and  by  staining. 
The  latter  was  done  long  before  it  was  used  in 
order  that  the  odor  might  disappear  before  the 
birds  wished  to  build.  The  staining  of  the  house 
led  to  a  discussion  of  the  grain  of  wood,  and  one 
or  two  methods  of  finishing  woods  as  carried  on  in 
furniture  factories. 

PAPER  MAKING      ^ 

(Third  Grade) 

The  manipulative  phase  of  the  study  of  the  paper 
industry  consisted  of  making  a  small  booklet  that 
was  used  to  hold  school  papers,  which  the  children 
wished  to  save.  In  connection  with  this  booklet,, 
strawboard,  cover  paper,  and  binder's  cloth  were 
brought  under  observation.  This  easily  led  to  a 
study  on  the  part  of  the  children  to  find  out  how- 
books  and  paper  were  originally  made  and  how 
they  are  made  toda\'. 

The  origin  of  paper  making  was  taken  up  thru 
the  story  of  the  keeping  of  records  by  the  ancient 
people  of  Asia,  Greece,  and  Rome.  The  wax  and 
clay  tablets  were  discussed  and  their  non-durabilit)' 
pointed  out.  The  story  of  Egyptian  paper  making 
from  papyrus  was  developed  and  this  led  to  the 
story  of  the  use  of  sheepskin,  calfskin,  flax,  an  J 
cotton  fibers  for  the  same  purpose.  Illustrative 
material  of  old  pamphlets  that  hati  been  illustrated 
and  printed  by  hand  were  shown.  The  invention 
of  the  printing  press  and  the  great  demand  for 
paper  led  up  to  the  present  manufacturing  of  paper. 

In  connection  with  the  industry  of  today,  the 
following  points  were  emphasized:  the  obtaining  of 
rags  and  the  sorting  of  these,  the  securing  of 
old  paper  and  the  combining  of  rags  and  paper, 
the  cutting,  mixing,  rolling,  drying,  coloring,  and 
finishing  of  paper.  The  difference  between  blotting 
paper,  writing  paper,  cartlboard,  anti   tissue  paper 


EMPHASIS  IN  PURPOSE  AND  CONTENT 


13 


was  observed.  The  making  of  certain  kinds  of 
paper  from  wood  fiber  was  correlated  with  the 
reading  period.  The  children  were  keen  enough 
to  bring  up  the  subject  of  the  making  of  paper 
clothing  during  the  last  few  years. 

Some  small  boys  undertook  to  try  paper  making 
at  home  by  pulverizing  rags  and  paper  together 
and  by  boiling  them  in  a  little  lye  water  with  rosin 
to  hold  the  fibers  together.  The  result  was  a  very 
heavy  crude  blotting  paper  that  helped  much  in 
giving  an  idea  as  to  how  the  work  is  done  in  the 
factory.  Other  children  made  up  charts  ot  samples 
of  different  kinds  of  paper  that  could  be  found. 
These  charts  were  on  exhibition  in  the  schoolroom 
and  were  viewed  with  great  pride  b\-  the  makers. 
Helpful  illustrative  material  for  the  study  of  this 
industry  was  obtained  from  the  Hampshire  Paper 
Company  at  South  Hadley  Falls,  Mass.,  and  the 
Forest  Paper  Company  at  Yarmouthville,  Me. 

FOOD 

(Fourth  Grade) 

In  the  fourth  grade,  emphasis  was  laid  upon  the 
preparation  of  meats,  and  also  of  wheat  as  a  ceral 
for  our  use.  In  connection  with  the  former,  the 
life  of  the  rancher  was  taken  up  in  the  geography 
period.  The  beef  was  traced  from  the  ranch  to 
the  stockyards  and  the  packing  house.  Some  time 
was  given  to  the  preparation  of  the  meat  after  the 
beef  was  killed.  Allen's  Industrial  Reader  was  used 
extensively  with  this  work,  and  some  very  good 
material  was  obtained  from  Morris  and  Company 
in  Chicago.  (The  latter  contains  excellent  illustra- 
tions and  carries  the  work  along  the  different  proc- 
esses of  refrigerating,  drying,  smoking,  and  canning). 
The  place  of  this  industry  in  the  United  States, 
the  approximate  number  of  people  employed,  and 
the  location  of  the  large  stockyards  and  meat- 
packing establishments  in  this  and  other  countries 
were  studied.  The  story  ot  the  raising  ot  sheep  tor 
food  was  taken  up  in  much  the  same  manner  as 
that  ot  the  beef. 

With  the  study  of  the  cereal,  the  story  of  a  grain 
of  wheat  was  traced  from  the  wheat  fields  of  the 
northwest  to  the  time  when  the  loat  ot  bread,  or 
the  breakfast  food,  was  placed  upon  the  dining 
table.  Consideration  was  given  to  the  number  ot 
persons  employed  in  this  industry  and  its  place  in 
the  world's  work.  Materials  obtained  from  the 
Washburn-Crosby  Company  showing  a  diagram  ot 
the  milling  processes  in  the  flour  mill  were  found 
helpful.  Stories  of  "How  the  World  is  Fed"  were 
read  and  a  comparison  was  matle  ot  the  ancient 
ways  of  making  flour  and  meal  as  compared  with 
those  of  the  present.  The  whole  subject  was  further 
vitalized  by  a  visit  to  a  small  flour  mill  nearbv. 


MKI  ALS— IRON  AND  STEEL 
(Fifth  Grade) 

J'he  fifth  grade  was  studying  the  United  States 
in  geography.  One  of  the  important  natural  re- 
sources proved  to  be  iron  ore.  One  of  the  chief  in- 
dustries involved  was  the  transforming  of  iron  into 
steel.  This  gave  us  a  splendid  opportunity  to  in- 
vestigate the  iron  industry.  A  study  was  made  of 
the  early  discoveries  of  iron  and  its  smelting  by 
ancient  people.  The  fact  was  brought  out  that  in 
the  history  of  civilization  a  certain  epoch  was  known 
as  the  Iron  Age,  when  people  first  began  to  sub- 
stitute iron  tor  wood  and  stone.  The  history  of 
the  smelting  of  iron  was  traced  up  to  the  present 
methods  of  manufacturing.  Special  attention  was 
given  to  the  difference  between  the  open  hearth 
and  the  Bessemer  furnace.  The  effect  of  the  iron 
industry  upon  civilization  with  regard  to  machinery, 
transportation,  building,  and  tools  was  noted.  Out- 
standing individuals  who  had  done  much  to  pro- 
mote the  industry  were  mentioned.  The  children 
learned  that  Neilson,  Siemens,  and  Bessemer  had 
as  important  an  influence  upon  our  lives  as  did 
Washington,  Franklin,  and  many  other  men  to 
whose  lives  so  much  time  is  given  in  the  school- 
room. 

By  the  time  this  study  was  completed,  the  chil- 
dren knew  the  main  facts  concerning  the  history  of 
the  iron  industry,  the  names  of  the  men  who  had 
promoted  the  industry,  the  different  kinds  of  work, 
and  the  approximate  wage  of  each  worker  in  the 
industry.  Since  the  workers  of  the  metal  industry 
are  unionized,  this  led  to  a  slight  discussion  of  the 
union  and  its  purpose.  The  discussion  of  the  union 
led  to  introductory  observations  of  factory  working 
conditions  anil  workmen's  compensation  laws. 

The  manipulative  phase  of  this  study  of  the  metal 
industry  consisted  of  the  making  of  a  lead  paper 
weight.  This  was  done  by  first  making  the  mould 
of  clav.  The  lead  was  then  melted  over  a  Bunsen 
flame  and  poured  into  the  mould.  After  cooling, 
the  mould  was  knocked  oft"  and  the  weight  bore 
the  imprint  of  any  shape  the  mould  may  have  been. 

The  idea  of  the  work  in  the  mills  was  made  more 
vita!  by  a  set  of  stereopticon  slides  that  was  bor- 
rowetl  from  the  Illinois  Steel  Company  of  Chicago. 
These  slides  tokl  the  whole  industrial  story  from 
the  raw  material  to  the  finished  product. 

BRICK  MAKING 

(Sixth  Grade) 

The  study  of  the  clay  industry  in  connection 
with  the  making  of  bricks  was  brought  in  thru  the 
geography  of  Indiana.  Since  Brazil,  Indiana,  is  a 
great    brick-producing    region,   our   interests    were 


14 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


naturally  aroused  with  this  kind  of  work.  The 
making  oi  brick  was  traced  from  early  Egyptian 
and  Assyrian  times  up  to  the  present  day.  Much 
time  was  given  to  the  development  of  this  industry 
in  our  own  country,  and  this  work  led  to  a  study 
of  the  location  of  the  large  brick-producing  regions 
of  Indiana  and  the  LTnited  States.  The  study  of 
the  processes  of  the  industry  involved  the  produc- 
tion of  the  raw  material,  its  preparation  for  use, 
its  tempering,  and  its  moulding.  Under  the  subject 
of  moulding,  the  soft  mud,  stiff  mud,  and  dry  proc- 
esses were  discussed.  Quite  a  little  time  was  given" 
to  the  subject  of  firing,  and  a  visit  to  a  brick  kiln 
was  made  by  the  class. 

After  the  class  felt  that  it  understood,  to  some 
extent,  the  different  kinds  of  work  in  connection 
with  this  industry,  the  boys  made  a  study  of  the 
approximate  wage  ot  the  important  processes,  while 
the  girls  collected  statistics  concerning  the  number 
of  persons  employed  and  the  necessary  preparation 
required  of  a  worker  in  order  to  be  classed  as  a 
skilled  workman.  Of  course,  the  fact  that  the 
workers  are  unionized  was  revealed,  and,  as  in  the 
iron  industry  in  the  fourth  grade,  this  led  to  a  dis- 
cussion of  factory  conditions,  hazards  of  the  work, 
and  seasonableness  of  employment. 

The  manipulative  phase  of  the  work  consisted  of 
the  making  of  a  small  brick  in  a  wooden  mould. 
Each  child  made  a  mould  and  brought  in  clay  for 
the  work.     The  fact  that  these  hand-maiie  bricks 


shrank,  and  were  not  as  large  when  dry  as  when 
wet,  led  to  an  interesting  discussion  as  to  how  much 
a  brick  maker  must  allow  for  shrinkage.  The 
bricks  were  not  glazed  and  fired,  but  the  subject 
of  glazing  was  touched  upon  and  the  difference 
between  common,  pressed  and  enamelled  bricks 
was  pointed  out. 

During  this  study  the  children  kept  note  books, 
so  that  a  definite  check  was  had  as  to  how  much 
they  were  really  learning  from  the  discussions  and 
readings.  Stereopticon  slides  of  other  clay  indus- 
tries were  also  used  to  aid  in  impressing  upon  them 
the  importance  of  this  particular  industry. 

While  it  is  encouraging  to  note  these 
promising  results  in  method  and  pro- 
cedure, which  tend  to  show  that  we  have 
frequently  underestimated  the  ability  of 
children  from  6  to  12  years  of  age,  it  cer- 
tainly would  be  unwise,  at  this  time,  to 
consicier  any  feasible  plan  for  offering 
elementary  industrial  arts  instruction  as 
more  than  tentative.  These  excellent  re- 
sults should  at  least  point  the  way  for 
further  experimentation,  which  is  certain 
to  make  more  reliable  comparisons  and 
measurements  possible  as  the  work  de- 
velops. 


U.     Correlating  and  Developing  Units  ok  Work  and  Study 


NEED  FOR  CAREFUL  STUDY  methods  and  practices,  as  conditions  per- 

AND  impartial   EXPERIMENTATION  ^^J^^     J,^     ^^^^^    ^^^^     ^^^     ^.^g^J^^     ^^^     ^e 

DESPITE  the  many  encouraging  read-  carefully  observed,  tested,  and  compared 

justments    and    tendencies   pointed  whenever  possible, 

out  in  the  preceding  chapter  relative  to  It  is  hoped  that  the  different  types  of 

the  purpose  and  content  of  profitable  in-  successfully     tried     units     and     projects, 

dustrial    experiences    in    the    elementary  which    are    published    in    the    following 

grades  of  141  public  school  systems,  Table  manner    by    special    request,    will    prove 

TI  shows  that  a  wide  range  of  opinion  still  sufficiently  suggestive  to  challenge  a  large 

exists  as  to  the  actual  methods  to  be  em-  number  of  teachers  to  try  them  out  as 

ployed  in  realizing  any  one  of  these  gen-  stated   or  in   modified   form.     These   ac- 

erallv   accepted  objectives.     It   is   to   be  curately    reported    units    of   work    have 

TABLE  II.     352  grade  teachers  report  their  respective  methods  for  correlating  the  in- 
dustrial ARTS  to  make  English  (oral  and  written)  a  true  growth  of  each  pupil's  experience.^ 

ITEM  NO. 

1.  Each  pupil  is  encouraged  to  become  interested  in  expressing  himself  in  a  clear  manner 

during  industrial  arts  talks  and  discussions 126 

2.  Each  pupil  is  required  to  write  up  excursions  to  industrial  plants,  make  class  reports 
and  notes  in  accepted  English  for  his  grade  and  in  a  form  which  has  been  agreed  upon  as  satis- 
factory by  all  concerned 98 

3.  Each  pupil  studies  and,  wherever  possible,  uses  accepted  business  forms  and  practices 

to  become  familiar  with  the  related  commercial  aspects  of  the  various  industries 83 

4.  Each  pupil  is  taught  to  select  and  evaluate  the  most  important  information  from  the 
selected  readings: 

a.  Those  readings  which  are  assigned  for  the  purpose  of  giving  definite  information  and 
attendant  technic  directly  related  to  the  construction  work  done 45 

b.  Those  readings  which  do  not  directly  affect  the  construction  work,  but  give  understand- 
ing, insight,  and  inquiring  attitudes  of  mind  in  connection  with  occupational  activities  in 

every  day  life -*"^  ^9 

hoped   that   the   time   is  not   far  distant  been    collected    intentionally    from    indi- 
when  careful  study  and  impartial  experi-  viduals   having  somewhat  varied  points 
mentation  may  aid  us  in  determining  the  of  view  and  experience,  with  the  thought 
comparative  Values  of  our  most  feasible  that  the  results  obtained  and  the  means 
methods    by    fairly    and    thoroly    testing  employed  might  interest  those  concerned 
them   in   some   definite   way.     However,  and    encourage    further    experimentation 
until  more  accurate  means  have  been  de-  with  the  several  plans  for  realizing  corn- 
vised    for   ascertaining   the    truth    (facts,  mon  aims  or  purposes, 
rather    than    mere    opmions)    regarding  Contributions  to   and   from  Closely 
what  and  how  pupils  from  approximately  ^^,^_^^^^  Subtects  in  Curriculum 
6  to  12  years  of  age  can  learn  most  effective- 
ly and  economically, 'xth^hoovQS  t\vos^swho  The    far-reaching    possibilities    in    en- 
are  responsible   for  organizing  and   con-  riching  the  elementary  school  curriculum 
ducting    the    industrial    arts    activities    to  ^T\\c9,ii   numbers   will    total    more    than   352,   as 
select    and    try    out    various    appropriate  several   teachers  reported   more   than  one  method. 

15 


16 


INDUSTRIJL  JRTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTJRY  SCHOOLS 


by  properly  correlating  the  industrial  arts 
activities  with  such  closely  related  tool 
and  content  subjects  as  English,  geog- 
raphy, history,  nature-study,  arithmetic, 
and  the  fine  arts  v/ere  suggested  in  the 
introductory  chapter.  Figure  2  shows 
the  number  of  school  systems  attempting 
such  correlations.  In  the  most  effective 
teaching   of  this   nature   observed,   each 


number  of  these  relationships  which  352 
grade  teachers  utilized  in  order  to  help 
pupils  make  their  oral  and  written  speech 
more  effective.  Altho  each  subject  must 
have  its  own  objectives  and  subject- 
matter  in  the  classroom,  and  naturally 
will  subordinate  the  other,  in  emphasis 
at  times,  nevertheless,  any  one  of  the 
subjects  mentioned  will  lose  much  of  its 


subject  was  studied  and  developed  in 
terms  of  its  relationship  to  fundamental 
needs.  The  industrial  activity  was  not 
only  emphasized  and  conducted  in  its 
true  perspective,  but  it  was  utilized  to 
an  extent  that  could  be  justified  by  its 
relative  worth  in  each  specific  case.  It 
likewise  was  observed  that  the  content 
of  these  closely  related  subjects  was 
greatly  vitalized  by  utilizing  the  indus- 
trial   arts    work.     Table    II    indicates    a 


inherent  value  provided  it  neglects  to 
utilize  the  other  subjects  advantageously 
to  enrich  its  own  particular  aspect  of  the 
study. 

REPORTS  ON  SUCCESSFULLY  DEVELOPED 
CORRELATIONS 

The  following  widely  varied  reports 
are  suggestive  of  a  few  of  the  valuable 
correlations  which  have  resulted  from 
resourceful  teaching. 


COR.KEL.rnNG  JND  DEVEinPING  UMTS  OF  IVORK  JAD  STL  DY 


17 


MAKING  A  HOME— GRADE  I 

Edith  M.  Parsons, 

Teacher  at  Youngstovvn,  Ohio 

This  undirected  community  work  was  carried  out 
by  a  first-grade  chiss  ot  forty  foreign  children,  most 
of  whom  were  from  crowded  and  unkept  homes.  My 
aim  was  to  derive  as  much  pleasure  and  profit  for 
these  children  as  possible;  while  the  children  de- 
sired to  model  a  home  and  its  environments. 

Conversation  first  took  place  concerning  the 
home  and  uses  ot  furniture.  As  there  were  no 
furniture  stores  near  enough  for  us  to  visit,  I  put 
colored  furniture  plates,  catalogs,  and  magazines 
in  convenient  places,  for  the  pupils'  inspection. 
After  many  suggestions  and  discussions  the  follow- 
ing was  decided  upon  by  vote:  (a)  Size  (jf  house, 
(b)  its  color,  (c)  the  kind  of  furniture,  id)  the  kind 
of  floor  and  wall  coverings,  (e)  the  place  of  the 
garden,  (f)  the  decoration  of  the  front  yard,  (g) 
who  was  to  make  each  part. 

The  educational  values  realized  frcjm  this  study 
were  briefly  as  follows: 

1.  Language — Conversation  and  criticisms. 

2.  Number — counting,  costs,  and  measuring. 

3.  Nature  study — seed  and  germination;  the 
value  of  rain,  air,  and  sunshine;  the  value  of  toads, 
snakes,  and  insects  that  live  in  gardens. 

4.  Health — value  of  foods  grown  in  a  gartlen; 
ventilation  and  cleanliness  in  home  keeping. 

5.  Citizenship — voting  and  cheerfully  abiding  by 
the  decision  of  the  majorit,  . 

6.  Writing — the  necessary  work  in  planning, 
costs,  and  the  like. 

E'qually  important  with  the  above  were  the 
following  social  adjustments: 

1.  Added  ability  to  work  together. 

2.  The  appreciation  of  the  good  work  of  another. 

3.  The  ability  to  take  and  give  criticism. 

4.  The  abilit}-  to  help  one  another. 

5.  The  creation  of  a  feeling  of  responsibilir\'  tor 
a  completed  task. 

6.  Concentration  and  independence  ot  thought. 

CLOTHING  AND  TEXTILES- 
GRADES  I  AND  II 

Pearl  G.  Candee 
Supervisor  of  Industrial  Arts,  Niagara  Kails,  N.  Y. 

In  the  public  school,  we  can  no  longer  separate 
art  and  industry  from  their  proper  relation  to  every 
subject  taught  in  the  elementary  grade  curriculum. 
During  the  past  two  years  Niagara  Falls  has  intro- 
duced problems  in  industrial  arts  into  its  grade 
school  course  ot  study,  endeavoring  to  give  the 
child  some  knowledge  of  the  industry  studied  and 


the  direct  relation  ot  arithmetic,  geography,  draw- 
ing, and  other  subjects  to  it.  For  instance,  the 
making  ot  designs  for  silk  material  is  preceded  by 
all  of  the  appropriate  knowledge  obtainable  about 
the  silk  industry.  The  following  is  a  typical  out- 
line for  one  subject  (textiles),  which  was  used  in 
grades  1  and  1 1  last  year. 
Grade  1. 

(a)  Discussion  of  clothing  to  be  worn  at  various 
times  of  >ear,  as  to  kinds,  material,  color,  etc. 

(b)  Paper  dolls  were  cut  from  patterns.  Cos- 
tumes for  summer,  winter,  fall,  and  spring  were 
made  from  colored  construction  paper  and  trimmed 
(original  designs). 

Grades  II. 

(a)  Discussions  ot  clothing  worn  by  people  of 
various  lands  inclucled 

1.  Ot  what  the  materials  are  made. 

2.  How  the  materials  are  obtained. 

3.  Where  the  materials  are  obtained. 

4.  The  color  combinations  used. 

(b)  Paper  dolls  were  cut  from  patterns.  Cos- 
tumes representing  chililren  of  various  lands  were 
made  from  colored  construction  paper. 

(c)  This  study  was  correlated  with  story  illus- 
trations and  geography. 

FOOD  AND  TEXTILES- GRADES  I  AND  II 

Carrie  R.  Harmom 
Supervisor  of  Industrial  Arts,  Lockport,  New  York 

We  feel  that  the  industrial  arts  plan  is  of  greater 
value  than  the  former  courses  in  tlrawing  and  con- 
struction work  because,  first,  a  new  interest  is 
created  in  the  manufactured  articles  all  about  us 
and  in  all  industry;  second,  in  the  appreciation  ot 
what  is  good  in  design  in  the  manufactured  articles; 
third,  in  the  appreciation  of  the  masterpieces  in 
painting  and  song  related  to  each  industry  that  is 
studied;  third,  thru  its  correlation  with  other  sub- 
jects in  the  curriculum,  increasing  the  interest  in 
those  subjects.  It  also  increases  the  interest  ot 
the  parents  in  the  work  of  the  school,  as  the  chil- 
dren solicit  them  for  information  about  the  sub- 
ject being  studied  and  for  magazines  from  which 
to  cut  pictures  to  illustrate  their  subjects. 

In  each  subject  in  every  grade,  representation, 
design,  color,  and  the  construction  work  are  in- 
cluded as  before.  Under  food,  the  studies  include 
the  source  of  supply,  the  cost,  the  nutritive  value 
and,  in  some  classes,  the  method  ot  preparation, 
setting  the  table  properly,  and  the  artistic  arrange- 
ment of  flowers  to  aciorn  it.  In  the  second  grade, 
dishes  were  recently  cut  from  paper  and  the  napkins 
arranged  on  the  paper  table  cloth  in  their  proper 
places.     The  proper  amount  of  ami  the  right  kind 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


of  food  were  discussed  with  them.  "A  quart  a  day 
on  every  child's  tray"  is  illustrated  by  posters,  as 
we  are  at  present  having  a  "Milk  Week"  campaign 
to  show  the  value  of  milk  to  all,  and  its  cheapness 
as  compared  with  other  foods. 

Textiles  studied  for  two  months  included  work 
as  follows:  first  grade,  wool;  second  grade,  cotton; 
third  grade,  silk;  fourth  grade,  linen;  fifth  grade, 
cordage;  sixth  grade,  dress  design.  The  first  grade 
was  able  to  tell  the  steps  in  the  process  of  making 
cloth  from  the  shearing  of  sheep  to  the  dyeing  of 
the  wool  or  cloth. 

We  have  used  as  reference  books  for  these  studies 
the  booklet,  "From  Wool  to  Cloth,"  which  is  pub- 
lished by  the  American  Woolen  Company  and  sent 
free  to  schools,  "How  the  World  is  Clothed,"  and 
other  books  that  were  loaned  to  us  by  the  State 
Department  of  Education  at  Albany,  New  York. 

In  the  first  grade,  sheep  are  cut  from  paper  and 
mounted  on  the  booklet  covers  or  they  are  included 
in  posters,  or  a  nursery  rhyme  such  as  "Little 
Bo-Peep"  is  illustrated.  Color  and  design  are  in- 
cluded in  single  form  by  the  stick  printing  of  a 
design  on  the  booklet  cover,  or  in  making  a  design 
for  a  woven  rug.  Bright-colored  yarn  in  one  or 
more  of  the  six  colors  is  sewed  on  burlap  in  the 
darning  stitch.  This  year,  instead,  we  are  making 
little  woolen  bootees  woven  on  cardboard  looms. 

ILLUSTRATIVE  PROJECTS— GRADE  III 

Georgia  Ames  Kellev 
Teacher  at  Hillside  School,  Berkeley,  California 

The  objective  of  this  project,  which  was  worked 
out  at  the  Hillside  School,  was  the  study  of  Eskimo 
life  thru  the  making,  dressing,  and  housing  of  an 
Eskimo  doll.  In  order  to  secure  a  background  for 
the  project,  the  teacher  and  third-grade  children 
first  secured  pictures,  books,  and  relics  of  Eskimo 
life.  These  books  and  pictures  were  placed  on 
the  reading  table,  where  the  children  might  have 
access  to  them  at  any  time  after  the  prescribed 
work  had  been  completed.  During  the  language 
period,  the  facts  gleaned  thru  the  silent  reading- 
were  presented  and  discussed  by  the  children. 
These  discussions  were  in  the  form  of  socialized 
recitations,  as  the  initiative  was  taken  by  the 
children.  They  also  criticized  and  judged  the  value 
of  the  material  presented.  During  these  discus- 
sions, the  children  not  only  helped  correct  the  poor 
English  by  substituting  the  correct  forms,  but 
they  also  commended  excellent  forms  of  expression. 

The  next  step  was  the  organization,  on  the  part 
of  the  class,  of  all  the  material  under  a  few  topic- 
heads:  1.  The  country,  its  climate,  resources,  etc. 
2.  The  people,  their  homes,  clothing,  occupations, 
etc.     3.  The  present  compared  with  the  past.    The 


class  then  divided  itself  into  groups  in  relation  to 
the  topics  in  which  the  different  individuals  were 
most  interested.  Each  group  worked  by  itself  to 
organize  the  material  of  the  particular  topic  into 
a  complete  story.  This  story  was  afterwards  pre- 
sented to  the  class,  sometimes  by  members  of  the 
group  and  sometimes  by  one  child  whom  they 
chose.  Members  of  the  class  then  wrote  compo- 
sitions and  stories  upon  the  various  topics.  This 
involved  the  use  of  many  new  words,  which  the 
children  had  selected  from  day  to  day  and  placed 
upon  the  blackboard  for  reference.  Besides  this 
fact,  material,  stories,  poems,  and  songs  about 
Eskimo  life  were  collected,  and  many  of  them  were 
learned. 

During  the  entire  period  (about  six  weeks),  the 
construction  work,  involved  in  the  completion  of 
the  project,  was  carried  on.  At  each  stage  of 
progress,  the  work  of  the  individual  members  and 
of  the  groups  was  presented  for  criticism  and  sug- 
gestion, and  the  class  decided  on  the  final  products 
to  be  used.  The  manual  work  was  surprisingly 
good  for  such  young  children.  Practically  all  of 
the  subjects  in  the  curriculum  for  the  third  grade 
were  taught  thru  this  project.  In  fact,  the  arith- 
metic was  the  only  subject  for  which  extra  work 
was  provided.  The  children  were  keenly  interested 
and  attacked  each  new  problem,  whether  it  was 
constructing  bases  for  the  Eskimo  houses  in  the 
manual  training  room  or  learning  a  list  of  difficult 
words,  with  equal  enthusiasm  and  determination. 

I.  The  making  and  dressing  of  an  Eskimo  doll 
was  carried  out  involving: 

1.  Studies  of  pictures  and  representations  of 

Eskimo  life. 

2.  Modeling  an  Eskimo  doll  (a  study  in  pro- 

portion). 

3.  Constructing  a  doll   from  brown   ticking 

(designing,  cutting,  and  sewing). 

4.  Planning  the  clothes  for  the  doll  (cutting 

patterns). 

5.  Selecting    materials    and    the    making   of 

clothes  (overhand  stitch  used,  suggested 
by  primitive  method  of  sewing  skins). 

II.  The  making  of  an  Eskimo  house  consisted  of: 

L  Studies  of  pictures  of  Eskimo  houses. 

2.  Drawing  pictures  of  these  on  paper  and 

the  blackboard. 

3.  Modeling    the    house    in    sand,    or    from 

modelline,  etc. 

III.  A  sand-table  representation  of  an  Eskimo 
village  by  the  class,  included: 

1.  The  original  plans  which  were  drawn  on 
paper  and  transferred  to  a  board.  (Each 
child  explained  his  particular  plan  to 
the  class.     These  plans  were  then  dis- 


CORRELATING  AND  DEVELOPING  UNITS  OF  IVORK  AND  STUDY 


19 


cussed  and  the  best  one  retained  as  a 
working  basis.  This  plan  was  kept  on 
the  board  until  the  sand-table  repre- 
sentation was  completed). 
2.  The  composition  of  the  representations 
included: 

a.  Landscape,  houses,  and  people. 

b.  Water,  boats,  etc. 

c.  Animals,  dog-teams,  etc. 

IV.  Individual  representations  were  also  made  on  a 
smaller  scale. 

1.  A  program  for  the  parents  which  was  ar- 

ranged by  the  children.  (It  included  a 
complete  unified  review  of  the  subject, 
thru  poems,  songs,  compositions  and 
stories,  conducted  in  the  same  way  as 
the  daily  recitations). 

2.  An  exhibit  showing  all   the   things  made 

and  collected.  (These  were  arranged  by 
the  children,  who  acted  as  guides  to 
the  visitors). 

RELATED  PROJECTS— GRADE  III 

Georgia  Ames  Kellev 
Teacher  at  the  Hillside  School,  Berkeley,  California 

The  objectives  of  another  project  were  to  put 
content,  thru  actual  experiences,  into  the  terms 
"cost,"  "selling  price,"  "loss  and  gain,"  and  also 
to  test  the  knowledge  of  all  the  addition  and  sub- 
traction combinations,  if  possible.  The  class  was 
studying  a  community,  i.  e.  small  town  and  farms. 
It  was  suggested  that  the  class  build  a  town  so  that 
they  might  buy  and  sell  the  different  commodities 
necessary  to  dailylife.  Out  ofthis  suggestion  grew  an 
elaborate  community,  a  town  and  adjoining  farms. 
The  farm  produce,  cattle  and  hogs,  sheep,  poultry, 
etc.  were  sold  to  the  markets,  and  they,  in  turn,  re- 
sold them  to  the  consumers.  The  town  bank  loaned 
the  money  to  carry  on  these  enterprises,  and  also 
took  deposits  of  money.  There  were  public  markets, 
a  candy  store,  a  grocery  store,  a  bakery,  ami  real 
estate  firms.  Adjoining  the  town  were  a  chicken 
ranch,  a  hog  ranch,  a  dairy,  ami  a  fruit  and  vege- 
table farm. 

For  the  construction  of  the  town  and  farms,  the 
class  divided  itself  into  groups  according  to  the 
enterprise  which  they  wished  to  carry  on.  The 
children  worked  out  their  own  ideas,  constructing 
the  stores,  furniture,  and  the  articles  to  be  bought 
and  sold.  They  laid  out  the  farms,  built  the 
houses,  and  made  the  animals,  people,  etc.  Catalogs 
were  consulted  as  to  fair  selling  prices,  and  prices 
were  plainly  marked  on  everything.  Posters  were 
used  to  advertise  special  sales.  Large  quantities 
of  money  of  all  denominations  were  made  for  the 
use  of  the   bank.     During   the   arithmetic   period, 


actual  buying  and  selling  was  carried  on.  Each 
group  selected  one  of  its  members  to  "keep  shop," 
while  the  others  went  out  to  trade.  .At  the  end 
of  the  period,  each  child  figured  up  his  transactions 
to  see  what  his  profits  or  losses  were  and  settled 
his  account  at  the  bank.  Some  of  these  problems 
were  written  on  the  board  and  the  entire  class 
aided  in  their  solution. 

The  following  subject  correlations  were  involved: 

I.  The  industrial  arts  studies  included  card- 
board and  paper  construction,  woodwork,  modeling, 
sand-table  representations,  drawing,  painting,  and 
printing. 

II.  The  arithmetic  work  included  problems  in 
addition,  subtraction,  multiplication,  fractional 
parts,  U.  S.  money,  reading  and  writing,  and  mak- 
ing correct  change.  This  work  helped  the  pupils 
to  understand  and  use  such  terms  as  "cost,"  "selling 
price,"  and  "profit  and  loss." 

III.  The  language  work  included: 

1 .  Oral  expression,   thru  discussion  of  pro- 

ject, names  for  towns,  stores,  and  farms, 
stating  of  problems,  etc. 

2.  Written  forms  in  making  out  bills,  writing 

advertisements,  etc. 

SHELTER  AND  FOOD— GRADE  I\' 

Mrs.  Lois  Coffev-Mossman 
Instructor  of  Elementary  Education 

Teachers  College,  Columbia  University 
New  York  City 

A  group  of  fourth-grade  children  in  New  York 
City  studied  the  Virginia  colony.  In  reading  the 
simple  stories  written  about  these  colonists,  it 
seemed  that  the  children  were  not  aware  of  the  real 
life  problems  involved.  So  the  teacher  questioned 
them  as  to  what  the  colonists  ate  and  the  sort  of 
houses  in  which  they  lived.  It  was  found  that  most 
of  these  children  had  never  seen  shingles  on  a  house 
and  had  little  or  no  notion  as  to  what  a  log  is.  .\ 
small  model  of  a  log  cabin  was  brought  into  the 
room  and  left  where  it  might  be  examined  by  them 
day  after  day  whenever  time  availed.  This  led  to 
questions  about  making  trees  into  logs  and  boards. 
To  answer  these  satisfactorily  pictures  of  trees, 
lumber  camps,  and  saw  mills  were  used. 

.At  first  these  children  thought  that  probably 
sufficient  flour  was  brought  in  the  ship  in  which 
the  colonists  came  to  this  country  to  supply  them 
indefinitely  with  bread  materials.  When  some 
notion  of  the  size  of  the  ship  was  obtained  by  com- 
paring it  with  ships  anchored  in  the  Hudson  River, 
they  were  forced  to  find  another  source  of  bread 
for  these  pioneers.  They  found  that  corn  was 
secured  from  the  Indians  and  made  first  into  meal 
and  then  into  bread.     But  these  children  had  never 


20 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


seen  ripe  corn.  A  few  ears  were  secured  and  it 
was  interesting  to  see  their  eagerness  to  help  shell 
it,  or  even  to  get  a  kernel  in  their  hands. 

This  shelled  corn  was  ground  into  meal  by  the 
pupils  and  then  made  into  corn  bread,  the  bread 
being  mixed  in  the  classroom  and  baked  in  a 
neighboring  oven.  Finally  the  bread  was  eaten 
with  honey,  and  thus  the  children  gained  some 
notion  of  a  number  of  the  difficulties  which  con- 
fronted the  Virginia  colonists. 

ILLUSTRATIVE  PROJECTS 

—GRADES  IV  AND  V 

Carrie  B.  Francis 
Supervisor  of  Industrial  Arts,  Indianapolis,  Indiana 

The  fourth  and  fifth  grades  in  the  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson  School  of  Indianapolis  worked  out  an 
interesting  project  during  the  spring  semester, 
1920.  This  project  was  based  on  the  geography 
vvork  of  the  schools  with  two  specific  purposes  in 
view;  first,  to  enable  the  child  to  translate  into 
terms  of  his  own  experience  something  of  the  life 
and  conditions  of  the  people  whom  he  was  studying, 
and,  second,  to  stimulate  an  increased  interest  in 
the  other  subjects  correlated  with  the  work. 

The  story  of  the  project  developed  was  as  follows: 
"An  American  child  was  sitting  beside  the  fire- 
place in  his  own  home.  .As  he  sat  there,  he  tell 
asleep  and  dreamed  a  wonderful  dream.  He  was 
in  a  great  airplane  and  as  he  sailed  along  he  saw 
many  strange  and  curious  sights.  The  child  first 
visited  the  frozen  north,  where  he  saw  massive 
icebergs,  the  brilliant  northern  lights,  all  the  strange 
animals,  the  snow  houses,  antl  Esquimos,  who  live 
in  them. 

"Next  he  visited  a  farm  in  the  Temperate  Zone. 
From  there  he  was  quickly  transported  to  Japan 
amid  the  beauties  ot  the  cherry  blossoms  anti  the 
gorgeous,  gayly  dressed  Japanese.  In  striking  con- 
trast, he  soon  saw  the  more  somber  colorings  of  an 
Arabian  desert  with  its  white  gowned  .Arabs  and 
slow-moving  camels.  But,  most  delightful  of  all, 
he  found  himseit  in  the  depths  of  a  dense  jungle, 
where  he  saw  peering  out  from  the  tall  grass  all  the 
animals  that  gave  him  such  thrills  when  the  circus 
came  to  town." 

The  boys  in  their  manual  training  classes  made 
all  of  the  animals,  homes  ot  the  peoples,  vehicles  ot 
transportation,  and  the  like  for  each  scene  of  the 
dream.  The  girls  in  the  sewing  classes  costumed 
clothes-pin  dolls  for  the  homes.  In  the  art  classes, 
cut-paper  landscapes  were  made  to  show  the  settings 
for  the  scenes.  The  pose  work  was  based  upon  the 
people  living  in  these  homes.  At  the  end  of  the 
semester,  large  stages,  replicas  of  the  landscapes, 
were  made,  and  homes,  animals,  people,  etc.  were 


placed  in  their  individual  settings  with  the  American 
child  in  the  plane  above  them  flying  from  the  North 
Frigid  Zone  to  the  Torrid  Zone. 

This  work  and  study  aroused  the  keenest  interest 
and  much  enthusiasm,  which  was  felt  not  alone  by 
pupils  in  the  schoolroom,  but  also  by  the  parents 
in  the  homes.  This  interest  in  the  work  served  to 
bring  the  school  and  the  home  in  much  closer  touch 
with  each  other.  As  the  grades  worked  together 
on  this  problem,  a  splendid  co-operative  spirit  was 
developed.  This  co-operative  spirit  should  tend 
to  broaden  the  child's  interpretation  of  life  and  aid 
him  to  more  wisely  adjust  himself  to  the  outside 
world. 

CORREL.ATED  FOOD  PROJECT 

—GRADE  V 

Mabel  Hutchins 

Teacher  of  Industrial  .Arts 

Grand  Rapids,  Michigan 

This  project  consisted  of  the  cooking  and  serving 
of  a  Colonial  luncheon  as  part  of  the  Tercentenary 
Celebration  of  the  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims.  It  is 
one  example  of  the  natural  correlation  of  industrial 
arts  with  the  other  subjects.  The  industrial  arts 
included  work  and  study  resulting  in  the  pouring 
and  dipping  of  tallow  candles,  making  soap,  in- 
vestigating Colonial  foods,  their  food  values,  and 
composition,  cooking  utensils  and  dishes,  planning 
a  balanced  menu  for  a  luncheon,  and  finally  cooking 
and  serving  it  correctly.  Related  art  problems  con- 
sisted of  charts  showing  composition  of  typical 
foods,  cut-paper  designs  tor  table-top  and  hand- 
lettered  menu  and  place  cards. 

The  history  work  involved  an  intensive  study  of 
the  Colonial  Period  and  the  development  of  cook- 
ing methods;  the  language  work  included  the 
writing  of  papers  on  the  subject-matter,  and  oral 
compositions  on  the  lantern  slides;  the  geography 
studies  helped  the  children  to  realize  the  sources  of 
typical  foods,  the  difference  between  Colonial  and 
modern  methods  of  transportation,  and  the  inter- 
dependence of  the  nations;  while  the  arithmetic  was 
vitalized  by  practical  problems  in  marketing,  com- 
paring costs  of  food  and  fuels,  figuring  food  values, 
averages,  and  percentages. 

In  the  hygiene  class  early  methods  of  sanitation 
were  compared  with  modern  methods,  the  value 
of  food  to  the  body  was  emphasized,  and  (along 
with  the  making  of  soap)  personal  cleanliness  was 
taught.  The  related  science  allowed  time  for  simple 
chemical  tests  for  food  elements;  the  nature  study 
was  responsible  for  classifying  the  kinds  of  food 
native  to  the  community,  and  a  consideration  of 
agriculture  was  made  to  allow  for  a  study  of  the 
methods  of  production.  Finally,  the  children  were 
taught  table  manners,  table  service,  and  courtesy. 


CORRELATING  AND  DEVELOPING  UNITS  OF  IVORK  AND  STUDY 


21 


CLASS  PROJECTS-GRADE  VI 
A.  A.  Cain 

Ethical  Culture  School,  New  York  City 

At  the  Ethical  Culture  School,  New  York  City, 
we  have  found  that  a  study  of  the  elements  of 
electricity  interests  the  pupils  of  our  sixth  grade. 
A  choice  is  permitted  in  making  a  motor,  tele- 
graph. Bell  telephone,  wireless  telegraph,  or  elec- 
tric toaster.  Men  whose  names  are  prominent  in 
the  field  of  electricity  are  studied  and  as  much  in- 
formation as  possible  collected.  This  also  creates 
a  keener  interest  in  the  geography  work  when  trans- 
portation, and  modern  facilities  for  travel  are  dis- 
cussed. 

Subjects    are    related    in    many    ways,    and    the 
teachers   in    the   different   departments   assist   one 
another  as  occasions  arise  for  developing  some  part 
of  the  work  to  a  point  of  greater  educational  value. 
To  illustrate  this,  I  shall  refer  to  a  particular  case. 
The  sixth-grade  class  teacher  had  reached  the  point 
in  geography  where  travel  and  lumber  are  associat- 
ed.    One  of  the  shop  teachers  had  been  interviewed 
and  arrangements  were  made  for  a  talk  on  lumber, 
concerning  where  some  of  the  common  kinds  grow, 
how  to  tell  the  different  kinds,  and  something  about 
the  commercial  lumber  industry  in  general.     This 
information    cleaned    up    some    mathematical    dif- 
ficulties by  pointing  out  the  sizes  of  boards  and  the 
commercial    methods    for    figuring    costs.     At    the 
same    time,    the    shop    benefited    by    showing    the 
pupils  the  structural  elements  of  wood,  as  there  is 
seldom    time    during    shop    periods    for    such    dis- 
cussions. 

iM-om  our  experiments,  it  would  seem  that  the 
work  has  a  much  greater  educational  value  when 
there  can  be  the  closest  possible  relationship  be- 
tween the  activities  of  the  classroom  and  the  work 
of  the  shop. 

STIMULATING  A  STUDY  OF 

ARCHITECTURE-GRADE  VI 

L.  A.  Hf.rr 

Supervisor  of  Elementary  Industrial  Arts 

The  Lincoln  School,  New  York  Citv 

I  liru  the  study  of  medieval  history  and  a  trip 
to  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  the  sixth-grade  class 
became  interested  in  historic  ornament.  Thev 
decided  to  make  some  of  the  most  typical  ami 
beautiful  of  the  historic  forms  in  plaster.  The  aim 
was  to  make  these  as  true  to  the  best  examples  as 
possible.  Both  teacher  and  pupils  collected  draw- 
ings and  pictures  from  which  each  pupil  made  a 
choice  of  the  particular  ornament  he  wished  to 
make.  Borders  such  as  egg  and  liart,  the  bead 
ant!   button,  and   the  guilloche  were  the  choice  of 


the    majority   of  the   pupils,    altho   some   selected 
different  kinds  of  ornament. 

The  work  fell  into  three  natural  divisions,  namely: 

(1)  Modeling  of  the  desired  form  in  clay; 

(2)  The  making  of  a  plaster  mold  from  the  clay 
model; 

(3j  The  making  of  the  finished   cast   from    the 
mokl. 

Each  pujiil  began  by  making  a  full-sized  pencil 
sketch  of  the  form  which  was  used  as  a  guide  in 
the  modeling.  When  the  forms  had  been  partially 
built  up,  several  pupils  cut  templets  to  assist  them 
in  securing  greater  accuracy  in  their  work.  In 
preparing  the  temporary  walls  about  the  forms 
and  in  mixing  and  pouring  the  plaster,  the  pupils 
obtamed  good  results  by  working  in  small  groups 
and  assisting  each  other.  This  work  led  to  an 
extended  study  of  architecture  from  the  classic  to 
the  modern  period.  This  study  of  architecture 
was  successfully  carried  on'  by  means  of  class  dis- 
cussions, sketching,  lantern  slides,  and  visits  to 
typical  buildings. 

Relation  Betwee.v 

CONSTRUCTION   PrOBLE.MS  AND 

Intellectual  Content 

The  majority  of  the  primary  teachers 
report  that  they  experience  little  difficulty 
in  stimulating  their  pupils  to  select  and 
develop    suitable    construction    problems 
to  aid  in   the  elementary  industrial  arts 
studies.     On   the  other  hand,  they  have 
observed  that  the  ability  of  these  younger 
children    to    understand    is    usually    far 
greater     than     their     technic.     While     a 
much    greater    degree    of   precision    and 
.accuracy  can  be  encouraged  beyond  the 
third  grade,  it  is  exceedingly  important 
for  all  teachers  of  elementary  industrial 
arts  to  distinguish  clearly  between  those 
manual   aspects  of  the   work   which   are 
intended    primarily    to    result    in    motor 
skill  (power  over  technic)  and  those  which 
contribute  mainly  to  general  mental  de- 
velopment. 

Mrs.  Coffey-Mossman,  Instructor  in 
Elementary  Education  at  Teachers  Col- 
lege, Columbia  University,  has  referred 
to  the  relation  which  might  well  exist 
between  the  subject-matter  and  the  con- 
struction work  as  follows: 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


To  be  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  school  program, 
industrial  arts  should  be  able  to  show  that  it  has  a 
body  of  thought  of  its  own.  Some  have  regarded 
it  as  merely  the  handmaiden  of  the  other  school 
subjects  to  make  them  clearer  and  more  interesting. 
If  this  is  true,  the  work  should  be  embodied  in  the 
respective  subjects,  just  as  maps,  charts,  lantern 
slides,  and  stereographs  are  used  now.  But  in- 
dustrial arts  has  a  subject-matter  of  its  own.  It 
is  a  study  which  has  to  do  with  the  activity  of  the 
race  in  transforming  raw  materials  to  meet  definite 

needs The  growth  of  the  race  in  developing 

better  ways  of  meeting  these  needs;  the  materials 
which  have  been  found  best  suited  to  the  needs; 
the  limitations,  the  qualities,  the  methods  ot  pro- 
ducing, and  the  supply  of  these  materials;  the  de- 
vices for  making  the  things  needed  with  their 
underlying  scientific  principles;  and  the  effect 
upon  man  both  of  making  and  of  using  these  prod- 
ucts constitute  a  rich  field  of  human  activity  worthy 
of  study. 
■4  The  making  of  a  thing  best  enables  one  to  under- 
stand it.  To  study  the  need  as  a  problem  until 
one  can  invent  a  way  to  meet  the  need  is  good, 
but  the  child  cannot,  in  his  short  life,  rediscover  all 
the  ways  in  which  man  has  met  these  needs.  He 
should  then  make  the  projects  involved  in  his 
study  whenever  there  is  no  easier  way  to  get  the 
idea  as  clearly  as  he  should  have  it.  This  will 
necessitate  evaluating  every  project  upon  the  worth 
of  the  idea  which  it  gives,  upon  the  amount  ot 
time  required,  and  upon  the  possibility  of  a  quicker 
wa>-  of  securing  the  idea — thru  reading  about  it, 
being  told,  seeing  pictures,  or  seeing  some  one  else 
make  it.  If  the  "inner  felt"  series  ot  sensations  of 
which  Professor  James  speaks  is  the  only  way  to 
get  the  correct  idea,  then  take  the  time  tor  making 
the  project.     Projects  in  this  subject  exist  then  tor 


the  sake  ot  claritying  ideas  and  giving  the  child  a 
real  understanding  and  appreciation  of  the  in- 
dustrial activity."* 

*CofTey-Mossman,  Lois,  "The  Organization  of 
the  Curriculum  in  Industrial  Arts  in  the  Elementary 
School," '.Bulletin  of  the  Teachers  College  Alumni 
Conferences,  Columbia  University,  New  York  City, 
1913,  pp.  80-81. 

Nearly  all  ot  the  teachers  questioned 
on  this  subject  disagree  with  the  follow- 
ing statement,  which  was  made  recently 
by  one  of  our  well  known  educators: 
"The  educational  value  is  meagre  in  most 
of  the  so-called  elementary  grade  indus- 
trial work,  because  it  is  relatively  devoid 
of  intellectual  content."  Invariably,  they 
have  stated  that  thru  the  group  and  in- 
dividual projects,  several  ot  which  are  in- 
cluded in  these  reports,  they  are  demon- 
strating daily  the  presence  of  such  intel- 
lectual content  by  having  the  pupils  not 
only  participate  in  manipulative  work,, 
but  also  gain  an  intelligent  appreciation 
of  what  the  various  problems,  methods,, 
and  conditions  mean  in  terms  ot  his- 
torical development,  social  worth,  scien- 
tific changes,  and  industrial  growth.  In 
other  words,  these  purposeful  activities, 
are  constantly  challenging  the  pupils  to 
think,  plan,  speak,  write,  and  read,  as 
well  as  to  use  materials  and  tools  to  con- 
struct servicable  and  interesting  products.. 


III.   Methods  of  Ofkerixg  Project-Problem  Instructiox 


_  INDUSTRIAL  EXPERIENCES  INVOLVE 
THREE  CLOSELY  RELATED  ELEMENTS 

AS  previously  indicated,  varying  de- 
grees of  emphasis  are  being  given 
to  the  relative  values  of  construction 
work  and  subject-matter  by  the  six  ele- 
mentary grades  in  the  school  systems  in- 
vestigated. Nevertheless,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, these  352  teachers  report  that 
they  recognize  the  need  for  having  the 
industrial  arts  experiences  give  some  at- 
tention to  each  one  of  the  following 
closely  related  elements: 

(1)  Motor  expression  as  a  means  of  stimulating 
interest  and  mental  activity,  and  of  de- 
veloping the  muscles  antl  senses  to  a 
reasonable  degree  (dexterity  and  discrim- 
ination); 

(2)  Information  regarding  common  industrial 
materials,  processes,  products,  and  de- 
velopments to  make  pupils  conscious  ot 
important  divisions  and  relationships  in 
their  complex  social  environment; 

(3)  Situations  involving  some  understanding  of 
the  human  factors  (problems,  conditions, 
and  meanings)  in  the  workaday  world  to 
encourage  thoughtful  appreciation  of  the 
possibilities  for  social  service  and  indi- 
vidual expression. 

In  the  teaching  of  industrial  arts  and 
related  subjects,  it  is  not  uncommon  to 
observe  two  widely  divergent  methods  of 
learning  in  different  elementary  schools 
within  the  same  school  system,  and  even 
in  different  classrooms  within  the  same 
building.  Several  of  the  grade  and  special 
teachers  still  follow  the  traditional  method 
of  assuming  almost  the  entire  respon- 
sibility for  originating  and  announcing 
the  object  of  the  lesson,  for  making  the 
plans,  and  for  asking  the  pupils  to  assist 
in  the  execution  of  these.  However,  a 
large  majority  of  the  teachers  concerned 
in  this  investigation  report  that,  when-' 
ever  possible,  they  encourage  the  pupils 
to  set  up  purposes  and  to  think  out  and 
develop  plans  on  their  own  initiative. 


project-problem  method  of  learning 
and  of  industrial  arts  instruction 

The  project-problem  7nethod  of  learning 
is  favored  in  principle  by  approximately 
91  per  cent  of  the  special  and  regular  ele- 
mentary school  teachers  in  the  141  school 
systems  studied.  This  generally  recog- 
nized method,  which  has  received  such 
wide  interpretation  recently,  preferably 
involves  the  conscious  setting  up  of  speci- 
fic purposes  by  the  pupils,  the  making  of 
plans  to  realize  these  purposes,  the  execu- 
tion of  the  plans  developed,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, the  appraisal  of  the  results  obtained. 
As  would  be  expected,  a  considerable  dif- 
ference of  opinion  exists  among  these 
teachers  as  to  the  amount  of  responsi- 
bility in  purposing  and  planning  which 
can  be  profitably  transferred  from  the 
teachers  to  the  pupils.  On  the  other 
hand,  nearly  all  of  these  teachers  serious- 
ly believe  that  industrial  experiences 
should  not  merely  limit  pupils  to  either 
narrow  or  imposed  tasks  in  handwork., 
but  should  offer  sufficient  opportunity  for 
understanding  and  appreciating  the  worth 
of  each  activity  and  interest.,  as  well  as  for 
allowing  some  freedom  in  meeting  the 
ciifficulties  which  arise  in  developing  their 
own  problems.  IVVhile  it  is  important 
that  the  pupils  learn  to  follow  directions 
and  to  conscientiously  and  accurately 
perform  those  tasks  which  are  assigned 
to  them,  it  is  agreed  that  these  require- 
ments should  not  be  over-emphasized  to  the 
sacrifice  of  that  development  in  initiative 
which  makes  for  the  proper  expression  of 
personality  in  either  group  or  individual 
projects. 

Director  H.  G.  Lull  of  the  Kansas 
State  Normal  School,  Emporia,  Kansas, 
has  suggested  the  following  method  of 
procedure  in  project  teaching:  "The 
procedure,  of  course,  will  vary  with  the 
nature  of  the  project,  yet  there  are  certain 


23 


24 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


principles  to  be  observed  in  the  initiation 
of  all  projects.  In  the  first  place,  the 
teacher  should  recognize  the  principle 
that  the  pupil's  natural  and  relatively 
unhampered  attack  upon  the  lesson  is 
an  essential  condition  of  successful  learn- 
ing. By  natural  attack  is  not  meant 
the  absence  of  definite  purpose  in  the 
attack  nor  of  guiding  suggestions  by  the 
teacher,  but  it  does  imply  the  removal 
of  authoritative  directions  and  prescrip- 
tions into  the  background.  In  the  second 
place,  the  teacher  and  the  pupils  must 
recognize  the  following  requirements  as 
absolutely  essential  in  starting  a  pro- 
ject: First,  the  pupils  must  work  as  a 
social  group,  in  closest  co-operation  with 
one  another;  second,  they  must  find  a 
worthy  purpose  and  make  plans  to  realize 
it;  third,  as  far  as  possible,  they  should 
make  a  tentative  outline  of  the  project 
as  a  means  of  guiding  the  individuals  ot 
the  class  in  their  study;  and  fourth,  they 
should  distribute  the  work  of  the  project 
among  themselves,  which  is  to  be  done 
in  the  following  study  (or  work)  period." 

It  is  encouraging  to  note  that  this 
form  of  purposeful  teaching — call  it  what- 
ever you  may  choose^not  merely  recog- 
nizes the  existence  of  knowledge,  thinking 
power,  and  skill,  as  such,  but  places  a 
premium  on  their  proper  expression  and 
use  without  neglecting  the  physiological 
and  psychological  factors  of  child  de- 
velopment. When  properly  conducted 
with  respect  to  the  neetis  and  interests 
of  the  boys  and  girls,  who  have  much 
work  in  common  at  this  age,  group  and 
personal  planning  and  experimenting 
occupy  an  all-important  place  in  the  in- 
dustrial arts  projects  and  problems.     Dr. 


John  Dewey  has  referred  to  these  promis- 
ing industrial  activities  as  "ideal  occas- 
ions for  sense-training  and  discipline  in 
thought."  In  continuing  his  discussion 
on  "The  Psychology  of  Occupations,"  he 
states:  "Because  the  ordinary  lessons  in 
observation  have  no  particular  motive, 
there  is  no  outlet  beyond  themselves. 
If  there  are  no  real  needs  and  motives 
for  doing  a  thing,  sense-training  becomes 
a  mere  gymnastic,  and  easily  degenerates 
itself  into  knacks,  or  tricks,  in  observa- 
tion. This  means  that  it  is  a  mere  ex- 
citement of  the  sense  organs.  Normal 
thinking  arises  to  meet  some  difficulty, 
but  reflecting  is  the  best  way  to  over- 
come it.  This  should  lead  to  planning 
for  results  to  be  reached.  Certain  steps 
and  order  are  necessary." 

Brief  Reports  on   Successful  Indus- 
trial Arts  Projects  and  Problems 

The  following  reports  on  the  several 
types  of  successfully  tried  projects  should 
prove  suggestive  to  all  teachers  and  ad- 
ministrators who  have  the  responsibility 
for  developing  industrial  arts  activities 
in  grades  one  to  six,  inclusive. 

Types  of  First,  Second,  and  Third 
Grade  Work. 

A  playhousp:  project— grade  I 

L.  A.  Herr 

Supervisor  ot  Elementary  Industrial  Arts 
The  Lincoln  School,  New  York  City 

l"he  first  grade  made  a  playhouse,  using  a  piano 
box  for  a  beginning.  In  planning  the  various  fea- 
tures ot  the  house,  the  class  worked  as  a  group.  Ini 
executing  the  plans  agreed  upon  in  these  group  dis- 
cussions, smaller  groups  chose  different  tasks. 
Freedom  to  shift  from  one  type  of  work  to  another 
was  encouraged  so  that  every  chikd  gained  man\- 
kinds  of  experience. 


Lull,  H.  G.  "The  Project  Methotl  ot  Learning,"  It  is  appreciated  that  an  elaboration  of  the  de- 
Kansas  State  Normal  School  publication;  also  see  tails  involved  in  each  one  of  these  units  would  be 
Kilpatrick  and  others.  "Dangers  and  Difficulties  both  interesting  and  profitable  if  the  space  could 
of  the  Project  Methotl  and  How  to  Overcome  permit;  however,  the  contributors  have  usually 
Them — A  Symposium,"  Teachers  College  (Colum-  indicated  that  they  will  answer  specific  questions 
bia  LTniversit))  Reconl,  Vol.  22,  pp.  283-322.  regarding  their  procedure  and  results. 


METHODS  OF  OFFERING  PROJECT- PROBLEM  INSTRUCTION 


IS 


Working  in  this  way,  a  new  floor  was  laid  and 
paint  was  applied  to  the  inside  walls  and  ceiling. 
Measurements  for  a  rug  were  taken  and  after  its 
size  had  been  deterniinetl  and  the  material  selected, 
weaving  was  begun  on  a  hand-made  loom.  At 
first  the  work  was  tione  in  the  simplest  way,  neither 
heddle,  batten,  nor  shuttle  being  used.  After  the 
pupil  had  gained  some  experience,  these  features 
were  then  added.  While  this  work  was  in  progress, 
another  group  made  furniture  consisting  of  four 
chairs  anti  a  table;  anejther  made  draperies  for  the 
windows;  still  another  made  clay  dishes  to  be  used 
in  future  social  functions  to  be  held  in  the  house. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  in  the  working  out  of 
this  project  and  the  different  problems  involved, 
the  pupils  gained  firsthand  experience  with  im- 
portant building  material,  with  clay  as  a  potter's 
material,  and  with  textile  materials.  While  the 
dominant  interest  of  the  class  was  in  the  making 
and  the  using  of  these  products,  much  information 
concerning  the  character  and  the  qualities  of  the 
materials,  as  well  as  the  methods  of  converting 
these  usable  articles,  came  as  a  by-product  anti 
formed  a  basis  for  further  stud}'. 

BOOKS  AND  OTHER  RECORDS— GRADE  II 

Leon  Loyal  Wins  low 

State  Department  of  Education,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

(Formerly  in  Charge  of  Industrial  Arts  at  the 

State  Normal  College,  Bowling  Green,  Ohio  ) 

In  the  second  grade,  a  preliminar\'  observation 
was  made  of  our  school  books,  involving  the  story 
of  how  we  came  to  have  books;  tradition  by  word 
of  mouth,  covenants,  the  scroll,  the  folded  sheet, 
laced  sheets,  the  book;  the  bookbinder  and  the  ma- 
terials which  he  uses:  paper,  leather,  cloth,  thread, 
glue,  paste;  the  tools  necessary  for  simple  book- 
making;  pencil,  ruler,  scissors,  and  how  they  are 
used;  and  the  care  of  books.  Single-signature, 
flexible-covered  pamphlets  were  made  by  each  child 
to  be  used  for  picture  study  illustrations.  Fasten- 
ing together  in  an  attractive  way  the  drawings  made 
in  the  course,  and  making  a  simple-line  cover  de- 
sign with  appropriate,  lettered  titles,  also  were 
satisfactorily  accomplished  by  the  pupils  in  this 
grade. 

CORN  PROJECT— GRADE  II 

Nellie  Mae  Lockhart 
Washington  School,  Youngstown,  Ohio 

The  purpose  of  this  project  was  to  show  the 
children  the  great  value  of  corn  and  to  emphasize 

Winslow,  Leon  L.  Chapter  4  on  "  Ihe  Interpreta- 
tion and  appreciation  of  Pictures"  in  bulletin  on 
"Art  and  Industrial  Arts,"  published  by  State 
Dept.  of  Education,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


the  extent  to  which  it  is  used  in  their  everyday 
lives.  We  first  compared  the  Indian  methods  of 
preparing  corn  with  our  modern  methods.  In 
order  to  accomplish  this,  some  of  the  children 
ground  corn  between  stones  as  the  Indians  did; 
while  others  brought  in  cornstalks  and  pictures  of 
modern  machinery.  We  then  talked  of  the  growth 
and  care  of  corn.  The  pupils  drew  pictures  of  it 
and  of  the  farmer  at  work.  Some  of  the  children 
who  lived  on  farms  made  silos  and  told  interesting 
stories  of  the  preparation  of  corn  for  the  silo. 

Next,  we  studied  the  different  products  of  corn 
and  mounted  many  of  them  on  a  large  chart. 
Samples  of  these  products  were  brought  in  or, 
where  these  were  not  obtainable,  the  children  read 
advertisements  and  mounted  the  pictures  selected. 
Health  pesters  and  illustrated  booklets  comparing 
the  food  values  of  corn  with  other  foods  were  made 
and  taken  home.  After  stud)ing  these  products, 
we  took  up  other  uses  of  corn.  To  their  surprise, 
they  found  they  could  make  baskets,  dolls,  brooms, 
and  the  like  from  the  husks.  All  thru  this  work, 
we  tried  to  discover  the  time  and  interpret  the 
value  of  the  work  done  by  farmers  and  manu- 
facturers in  preparing  corn  and  its  products,  so 
that  we  as  consumers  might  receive  the  benefits. 
In  this  wa_\-,  the  children  found  plent\-  of  inter- 
esting material  for  reading,  arithmetic,  language, 
spelling,  drawing,  health  talks,  ami  constructive 
work. 

Some  of  the  activities  displayed  on  the  large 
class  poster  were  as  follows: 

L   Dolls.  10.  Corn  meal. 

2.  Brooms.  11.   Mazola  oils. 

3.  Corn-cob  pipes.  12.  Corn  starch. 

4.  Baskets.  13.  Corn  flakes. 

5.  Paper  pulp.  14.  Chicken  corn. 

6.  Silos.  15.  Hominy. 

7.  Health  booklets.  16.  Popcorn. 

8.  Karo  syrup  and  candy.        17.  Popcorn  balls. 

9.  Corn  bread. 

We  had  expected  to  make  cand\  from  the  corn 
syrup,  to  pop  corn,  and  to  make  popcorn  balls, 
but  we  lacked  the  necessary  equipment  at  school. 

POTTERY   AND    CHINAWARE— GRADE    III 

F.FFiE  Alexander 
Primary  Supervisor,  .Adrian,  Michigan 

The  teacher's  general  aim  was  to  arouse  or  in- 
crease the  interest  of  her  thin]  grade  children  in 
some  of  the  common  manufactured  products  in 
everyda\'  use,  a'-d  to  show  them  how  these  things 
are  the  result  of  interesting  industrial  processes. 
It  seenied  ilesir;dile  to  lead  the  pupils  to  appreciate 
the  skill  and  perseverance  of  the  laborers,  and  the 
dependence  of  one  worker  upon  others.     In  order 


26 


INDUSTRIAL  JRTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


to  accomplish  these  ends,  it  was  clecided  to  con- 
sider how  pottery  was  once  made  by  hand  and  how 
it  is  made  in  the  factories  today.  The  pupils 
wished  to  learn  how  pottery  is  made  in  order  to 
make  bowls  in  which  to  put  the  bulbs  that  they 
were  going  to  give  their  mothers.  The  illustrative 
material  used  in  this  study  consisted  of  pictures  ot 
the  potter's  wheel,  pictures  of  the  potter  at  work, 
pictures  of  the  kiln,  pictures  ot  pottery,  pictures  of 
Indian  women  decorating  pottery,  plaster-of-paris 
molds  for  castings,  and  Indian  pottery  and  baskets. 

The  reference  books  used  most  freely  were:  Ele- 
mentary Industrial  Arts,  by  Leon  L.  Winslow; 
Makers  of  Many  Things,  by  Eva  March  Tappan; 
Edson-Laing  Readers,  Book  Three;  Indians  of  the 
Southwest,  h\  Pliny  Goddard;  and  The  World  Book. 

The  general  arrangement  of  the  ten  lessons,  which 
were  developed  with  interest  and  satisfactory  re- 
sults, was  as  follows: 

I.  Story  of  the  wa\'  in  which  the  Indians  made 

pottery. 
Pictures  of  Indian  pottery. 

II.  How  pottery  is  made  today. 
Picture  of  potter's  wheels. 
Pictures  of  potters  at  work. 
Pictures  of  a  kiln. 

Showing  phister-of-paris  molds. 

III.  Cutting  of  silhouettes. 

Study  of  designs  from  pictures,  potter\",  and 
baskets. 

IV.  Making    units     ami     placing    designs    on 

silhouette. 

V.  Beginning  bowl:  making  bottom  and  put- 

ting on  one  coil. 

VI.  Finishing  building  up  bowl. 

VII.  Smoothing  bowl;  getting  it  ready  for  decor- 

ation. 

VIII.  Scratching  design  of  border  on  bowl  with  a 

sharp  nail. 

IX.  Firing  pottery  out-of-doors  in  a  large  iron 

covered  kettle. 

X.  Smoothing  and  polishing  bowl  with  sand- 

paper. 

CONCURRENT  RELATIONS  OF  SHOP 
AND  ACADEMIC  SUBJECTS— GRADE  III 

A.  A.  Cain 

Instructor  Ethical  Culture  School, 
New  York  City 

At  the  Ethical  Culture  School  frequent  confer- 
ences occur  between  class  and  shop  teachers  for 
the  comparison  of  notes,  exchange  of  ideas,  and 
rearrangement  of  outlined  plans  of  work,  in  order 
that  shop  projects  and  academic  subjects  may  each 
be  filled  with  the  most  vital  interests  of  the  other. 


We  endeavor  to  carry  out  this  scheme  of  work 
from  the  kindergarten  thru  each  of  the  grades. 
The  following  brief  sketch  of  the  work  in  several 
of  the  grades  may  illustrate  the  methods  used. 

In  the  kindergarten  and  primary  grades,  we  strive 
to  acquaint  the  children  with  a  few  simple  tools  and 
technicalities.  As  soon  as  they  can  hammer  in  a 
nail  without  its  bending,  and  actually  make  a  saw 
cut  fairly  straight,  the  class  and  shop  teachers  confer, 
after  which  there  may  be  conferences  with  the 
children  to  discover  the  trend  of  interests.  In  the 
third  grade,  this  year  the  children  have  decided  to 
make  additions  to  their  furnishings  in  the  way  of 
flower  boxes,  folding  stools,  and  a  play  house. 
The  flower  boxes  have  already  been  made  in  the 
shop.  Their  color  scheme  and  decorations  are 
being  planned  in  the  art  periods.  Other  problems 
will  develop  in  a  similar  way.  The  arithmetic  of 
the  grade  is  being  applied  to  planning  a  zinc  lining 
for  the  boxes.  This  requires  application  of  the 
knowledge  of  addition  for  determining  the  length 
and  width  of  the  lining.  (Also  see  fourth  grade 
projects.) 

Types  of  Fourth,  Fifth,  and  Sixth 

Grade  Work 

INDIVIDUAL  PROJECTS— GRADE  IV 

Charles  Richards 

Director  of  Manual  Arts 

Ethical  Culture  School,  New  York  City 

The  Mechanic  Arts  Department,  of  the  Ethical 
Culture  School,  is  at  present  striving  to  get  light 
on  the  problem  of  how  best  to  gain  in  its  shopwork 
those  deep-seated,  thoughtful,  self-active  interests, 
that  the  boys  have  shown  in  wireless  work,  aero- 
plane making,  and  all  work  which  they  have, 
themselves,  adopted  for  the  time  being,  as  hobbies. 
It  is  well  known  that  a  hobby  receives  absorbing 
attention.  What  should  we  do  to  secure  the  same 
results  in  our  regular  shop  work? 

First  came  the  suggestion  that  the  pupils  be 
allowed  to  choose  their  own  individual  projects 
regardless  of  any  general  class  subject,  rather  than 
to  have  a  common  project  chosen  by  the  teacher. 
Then  it  was  suggested  that  a  subject  like  electricity 
or  the  boat-making  industry  be  adopted  and  that, 
within  the  boundary  of  the  subject,  the  pupil 
should  have  a  free  choice  of  a  project. 

For  the  past  few  years,  the  primary  grades  have 
had  a  very  free  choice  of  work.  Last  year  in  the 
fourth  grade,  we  tried  the  second  suggestion  re- 
ferred to  above.  The  subject  was  the  shipping 
industry.  It  was  the  bond  that  held  the  class  in 
common.  The  boats  resulting  from  this  under- 
taking surprised  us  all.  P'.very  boy  was  anxious 
to  build  a  boat  according  to  his  own  idea.     They 


METHODS  OF  OFFERING  PROJECT-PROBLEM  INSTRUCTION 


27 


brought  in  ideas  from  models  which  they  hatl  seen 
in  the  parks  and  stores.  They  also  delved  into 
our  shop  library.  Then  in  short  talks  we  dis- 
cussed, planned,  and  finall\-,  in  incredibly  short 
time,  produced  boats  of  which  the  seventh  or  eighth 
grades  could  well  be  prouil.  Besides  the  boat,  they 
gained  spontaneously  that  vital  subject-matter 
that  tends  toward  an  understanding  and  apprecia- 
tion of  progress  in  the  world  in  which  they  live. 
The  plan  was  pronounced  a  success  In'  all,  and  is 
being  repeated  this  year. 

CLASS  PROJECTS— GRADE  IV 
A.  A.  Cain 

F^thical  Culture  School,  New  York  Cit\- 
In  grade  four,  at  the  Ethical  Culture  School, 
New  York  City,  we  strive,  so  far  as  is  p")ossible,  to 
begin  the  class  project  work.  P'or  the  past  two 
years  it  has  been  boat  study  and  construction. 
The  history  studied  in  the  grade  centers  about  the 
Greeks,  the  Norsemen,  the  Vikings  and  the  ex- 
plorers of  various  centuries.  This  offers  a  splendid 
chance  to  create  interest  in  getting  information  on 
the  various  types  ot  boats  used  b>-  the  peoples 
that  are  being  studied  and  on  the  evolution  of  de- 
sign in  boat  building.  Written  articles  on  the  in- 
formation found  also  are  asked  for  in  connection 
with  the  P^nglish  work  ot  this  grade. 

FOOD  PROJECT— DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

FLOURS     GRADE  V 

Mrs.  Lois  Coffey-Mossman 

Instructor  of  Elementary  Education 

Teachers  College,  New  York  City 

During  the  war  a  fifth  grade  group  of  children 
took  some  time  in  discussing  the  problem  of  getting 
adequate  food.  The  discussion  led  to  the  problem 
of  getting  flour  to  make  bread.  Several  children 
said  they  did  not  like  rye  and  barley  bread.  One 
boy  announced  that  his  mother  had  quit  making 
bread  because  she  could  not  buy  wheat  flour,  and 
she  could  not  make  good  bread  from  the  flour  she 
could  get.  Out  of  these  and  simdar  remarks  grew 
a  feeling  that  there  is  a  difference  between  wheat 
flour  and  other  kinds.  The  teacher  told  them  that 
she  had  read  that  there  was  a  difference  which 
could  be  found  by  washing  each  flour  in  water  and 
comparing  the  results. 

Accordingly  tour  bowls  of  water  were  procured 
and  also  four  pieces  of  cheese  cloth.  In  one  piece, 
double  thickness,  was  placed  a  quantity  ot  about 
two  tablespoontuls  of  wheat  flour;  the  edges  of  the 
cloth  were  drawn  together  and  secured  with  a 
rubber  band,  so  that  there  was  formed  a  small, 
loose  bag  of  flour.  Similarly  rye,  bar!e\',  and  corn 
flour    were    placed    in    cheese    cloth.     These    were 


washed  each  in  a  separate  bowl,  by  gently  shalving 
back  and  forth  in  the  water.  P^ach  of  the  four 
children  undertook  to  care  for  one  bag,  washing  it 
often  during  the  ilay.  The  teacher  washed  a  bag 
of  wheat  flour,  at  home,  to  be  sure  there  would  be 
some  properly  prepared. 

The  following  morning  the  class  met  to  examine 
the  bags.  Before  opening  them  the  children  stated 
that  they  expectetl  to  find  the  following: 

1.  The  wheat  flour  would  be  sticky  because  they 
had  found  it  so  in  making  flour  and  water  paste. 

2.  The  corn  meal  would  be  like  wet  sand.  They 
could  make  no  prophesy  as  to  the  barley  and  rye. 

Then  they  proceeded  to  open  the  bags  in  this 
order:  barley,  rye,  corn  meal,  and  wheat.  The 
rye  and  barley  were  slightly  sticky,  the  water  in 
each  case  being  somewhat  milk\.  The  corn  meal 
was  like  wet  sand,  not  stick\-.  The  wheat  was  a 
gray,  sticky  lump,  and  the  water  was  very  milky. 
The  teacher  then  told  them  she  had  a  bag  ot  wheat 
flour  she  had  washed  at  home,  and  opened  it.  The 
lump  was  more  definite  and  stretched  like  rubber 
or  chewing  gum. 

In  response  to  the  exclamations,  "What  is  it?" 
it  was  developed  that  that  was  what  was  left  after 
the  starch  was  washed  out  into  the  water.  The 
teacher  supplied  the  name,  gluten,  telling  them  it 
is  the  protein  ot  \yheat. 

Having  found  this  difference,  the  class  exchanged 
ideas  until  they  agreed  to  the  inferences  that  the 
gluten  must  do  two  things  tor  the  bread: 

L   Keep  it  from  crumbling  by  holding  it  together; 

2.  Hold  in  the  gases  developed  in  making  the 
bread  ready  for  baking,  thus  making  the  bread  light. 

To  verify  these  inferences,  they  made  two  pans 
of  corn  bread,  using  the  same  recipe  in  each  with 
the  exception  in  the  second  instance  of  substituting, 
for  half  the  corn  meal,  wheat  flour.  They  baked 
the  bread  in  a  neighboring  oven,  the  mixing  having 
been  done  in  the  classroom. 

On  the  basis  of  their  inferences,  they  expected  to 
find  (1)  the  all-corn-meal  bread  thinner,  because  the 
gases  "had  escaped  and  thus  the  batter  was  not 
lightened;  (2)  the  all-corn-meal  bread  much  more 
inclined  to  crumble. 

When  the  bread  was  brought  back  to  the  room, 
the  inferences  were  found  to  be  correct,  the  bread 
containing  wheat  was  twice  as  thick  as  the  other 
and  held  together  much  more  firmly. 

ILLUSTRATIVE  PROJECTS— GRADE  V 

Carrie  B.  Francis 

Supervisor  Industrial  .Arts 

Indianapolis,  Imiiana 

The  5A  grade,  at  School  Number  45,  built  a 
"Japanese   Village,"   under   the  direction   of  Miss 


28 


INDUSTRJJL  J  NTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


Charlotte  Thomas.  This  was  based  on  their 
geography  and  correlated  with  art,  spelling,  compo- 
sition, and  arithmetic.  The  aim  of  this  work  was 
to  give  the  children  a  means  of  expression  that 
would  develop  their  initiative  and  originality,  and 
also  acquaint  them  with  the  world  around  them 
thru  their  efforts  to  express  their  ideas  and  interests 
in  concrete  form. 

From  their  homes  and  from  the  public  library, 
these  children  brought  books  and  pictures  illus- 
trating Japanese  life  and  custom.  They  talked 
with  people  who  had  visited  Japan,  some  of  whom 
came  to  the  school  and  told  the  class  about  Japan 
and  its  customs.  The  pupils  decided  the  essential 
features  of  the  village,  which  was  to  be  staged  on 
the  sandtable.  Various  parts  of  the  village  were 
worked  out  as  group  problems.  The  children  took 
the  initiative  in  deciding  what  should  be  made, 
how  it  should  be  made,  the  proportions  and  the 
materials  to  be  used.  In  several  instances,  dif- 
ferent ways  had  to  be  tried  before  a  successful  one 
was  worked  out.  Accuracy  of  representation,  pro- 
portionate relation,  color  value,  suitability  of  ma- 
terial, and  artistic  effects  were  some  of  the  things 
for  which  the  groups  worked. 

Entrances  to  the  village  were  made  attractive 
by  the  torii.  The  streets,  which  were  ornamented 
with  stone  lanterns  made  of  clay,  were  made  life- 
like by  the  jinrikisha  ami  the  tea  and  vegetable 
peddlers  with  baskets  hanging  from  their  shoulders. 
These  were  made  of  wood  and  painted  in  char- 
acteristic colors.  An  interesting  part  of  the  village, 
leading  to  the  temple,  was  an  arbor  covered  with 
wisteria.  The  figure  of  Buddha  was  modelled  in 
clay  by  a  boy  who  had  never  before  done  any 
successful  handwork.  He  asked  that  he  might  do 
all  the  modeling.  The  bridge  over  the  canal  was  a 
troublesome  problem,  as  a  proper  curve  for  the 
bridge  seemed  impossible.  One  day  a  boy  brought 
a  coat  hanger  from  home,  because  he  thought  it 
had  a  curve  that  would  give  the  proper  construc- 
tion to  the  bridge.  From  this,  they  worked  out 
the  curve  of  the  bridge.  One  prominent  feature  of 
the  village  was  the  tea  house  decorated  with  lanterns 
and  oriental  curtains,  which  were  made  from  small 
kindergarten  splints.  To  find  a  material  for  the 
roof,  which  was  pliable  enough  to  be  shaped  and 
would  also  suggest  tile,  required  some  experi- 
m.enting.  Corrugated  paper,  painted  and  shellack- 
ed to  stiffen  it,  was  found  to  be  most  successful. 

The  teachers  felt  that  the  work  vitalized  the 
academic  subjects;  that  the  child's  freedom  of  ex- 
pression, his  self-direction,  and  his  responsibility 
for  his  work  helped  to  develop  interest,  originality, 
initiative,  and  independence  in  the  class  work. 


RELATED  PROJECTS— GRADE  V 

Gertrude  A.  Beers 

Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio 

A  fifth  grade  geography  problem  on  the  study 
of  corn  furnished  a  basis  for  a  unit  of  work  in  food 
products  manufactured  from  this  cereal.  In  getting 
the  material  ready,  each  child  made  a  booklet 
into  which  he  pasted  pictures  from  advertisements 
of  every  kind  of  corn  product  that  could  be  found, 
such  as  cornstarch,  oil,  syrup,  meal,  breakfast- 
foods,  etc.  This  booklet  brought  in  the  art  prob- 
lems of  proper  mounting  of  pictures  and  a  cover 
design  in  which  the  corn  plant  was  used  as  the 
motif. 

It  was  next  planned  to  make  hominy.  The 
class  met  out-of-doors  to  gather  wood  for  a  fire, 
which  was  to  give  the  ashes  for  the  lye.  A  cupful 
of  sifted  ashes  to  a  quart  of  boiling  water  gave 
enough  lye  for  the  amount  of  corn  used.  The  corn 
was  boiled  in  the  lye  until  the  hulls  loosened,  then 
it  was  rubbed  between  cloths  to  take  off  the  hulls. 
After  being  thoroly  washed,  the  hulled  corn  was 
boiled  until  each  grain  was  tender. 

A  party  was  now  in  order,  so  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  arrange  the  tables.  The  hominy  was 
served  with  cream  and  sugar.  Whittier's  Corn 
Song,  which  had  been  memorized  in  the  literature 
work,  was  recited  at  the  beginning  of  the  feast. 

MAlvIXG  VASES  OF  CLAY— GRADE  VI 

Mrs.  Lois  Coffey-Mossman 

Instructor  of  Elementary  Education 

Teachers  College,  New  York  City 

It  was  a  sixth  grade  class.  A  friend  had  brought 
in  some  flowers  for  the  room — yellow  nasturtiums. 
There  was  a  nondescript  collection  of  vases,  red 
glass  of  inartistic  shape,  pottery  of  good  design. 
There  was  one  Chinese  bowl,  low  and  spreading, 
of  the  sort  for  pansies.  In  deciding  which  was  the 
more  suitable  for  the  nasturtiums,  there  was  not 
much  difficulty  in  eliminating  the  red  vase,  or  the 
low  Chinese  bowl.  In  the  discussion  of  the  various 
vases  it  became  apparent  that  the  children  had 
little  or  no  notion  of  what  material  the  vases  were 
made.  Finally,  some  ventured  that  they  thought 
the  Chinese  vase  was  made  of  clay. 

This  did  not  seem  clear  to  many,  so  the  teacher 
asked,  "What  is  clay?"  A  number  replied,  "It's 
putty."  Others  thought  it  was  wax  and  some 
suggested  the  word  moldolith. 

To  clear  their  thinking,  some  native  clay  was 
brought  into  the  classroom.  The  children  were 
unconvinced  that  it  was  clay,  asserting  it  was 
soft  rock.  Some  was  put  into  water  and  the  effect 
noted.  Similarly  some  soft  clay  was  treated. 
Further,   to  bring  out   the   notion,   a   piece  of   the 


METHODS  OF  OFFERING  PROJECT-PROBLEM  INSTRUCTION 


29 


"rock"  was  rubbed  between  the  Hrigers  and  the 
children  saw  it  was  really  a  powder.  This  brought 
out  the  teacher's  knowledge  of  how  the  potter 
wedges  his  clay  to  make  it  more  plastic  b\-  retlucing 
the  amount  ot  air  between  the  particles.  The  Book 
of  Knowledge  ami  encyclopedias  were  consulted, 
finding  that  clay  was  the  result  of  "disintegration 
of  feldspar."  This  needeti  explanation,  so  the 
story  of  the  great  glacial  period  was  discussed. 

Then  one  thoughtful  chilti  said  he  could  not  see 
how  a  bed  of  clay  could  be  laid  down  tree  from 
rock  and  sand  and  gravel,  since  the  glacier  caused 
all  this  material  to  be  mixed  in  the  rushing  waters 
flowing  away.  To  answer,  some  clay,  sand,  pebbles, 
gravel,  and  rocks  were  put  into  a  milk  bottle  with 
water.  They  were  thoroly  mixed  into  "muddy 
water."  The  children  easily  inferred  that  the  rock 
ami  gravel  would  go  to  the  bottom  when  the  bottle 
had  stood  for  a  time.  They  were  not  sure  what 
would  "come  down"  next.  In  the  morning  distinct 
layers  were  to  be  seen  below  the  clear  water,  the 
top  huer  being  clay.  The  conclusion  was  drawn 
that  a  bed  of  clay  is  laid  down  only  when  water, 
muddy  with  clay,  stands  quiet  for  some  time. 

The  bringing  of  clay  into  the  room  for  answering 
these  questions,  together  with  the  remarks  made 
by  the  teacher  about  the  plastic  quality  of  clay 
as  she  had  found  it  in  making  vases,  furnished 
stimulus  to  lead  some  of  the  children  to  ask  if 
they  could  try  to  make  vases.  The  lack  of  zinc 
closets  and  the  hot  dry  weather  furnished  much 
difficulty  in  handling  the  clay,  which  servetl  to 
strengthen  the  notions  of  plasticity  already  brought 
out.  Before  the  making  had  progressed  far,  the 
children  began  asking  how  the  vase  could  be  made 
so  water  would  not  soften  it.  This  necessitated 
explanation  of  firing  and  the  use  of  the  kiln.  The 
children  wanted  to  know  if  they  could  fire  their 
vases  and  glaze  them.  NN'hen  green  ware,  biscuit 
ware,  and  glace  ware  were  clear  terms,  the  children 
saw  that  more  than  one  firing  was  necessary,  and 
then  they  thought  out  the  tact  that  the  first  firing 
needed  to  be  the  hottest.  Soon  the  question  came: 
"How  does  the  man  know  how  to  control  the  heat.'" 
A  "cone"  was  brought  to  the  room  antl  its  use 
explained.  A  trip  was  made  to  the  kiln  to  take 
the  green  ware  to  be  fired. 

When  planning  for  the  claze  making,  questions 
were  numerous.  "What  makes  the  color?"  "How 
do  you  put  the  design  on?"  The  teacher  had  not 
felt  it  advisable  to  plan  to  mention  underglaze 
decoration,  but  the  question  came  and  had  to  be 
answered.  Then  they  wanted  to  know  how  the 
pattern  is  put  on  the  sets  of  china  so  uniformly. 
This  necessitated  explaining  the  methods  used  in 
factories  today.     A  trip  was  made  to  pottery  shops 


to  see  the  wheel  method  by  kick  wheel  and  by 
electric  power  wheel. 

The  third  method  of  making  vases — by  the  use 
ot  iilaster-of-Paris  molds — was  taken  up  in  the  class- 
room, using  a  borrowed  mold.  It  was  unfortunate 
that  time  tlid  not  permit  making  a  mold.  The  use 
of  the  plaster-of-Paris  mold  involved  noting  the 
utilization  of  the  property  of  plaster-of-Paris  in 
absorbing  water  but  rejecting  the  clay  contents  of 
the  water. 

W'hen  the  vases  were  nearly  ready  to  go  to  the 
kiln — that  is,  after  the  children  became  interested 
in  expressing  their  ideas  of  beauty  by  impressing 
the  clay,  shaping  it  to  their  liking,  the  teacher 
read  to  them  Henry  \'an  Dyke's  "A  Handful  ot 
Clay."  A  little  of  the  history  came  incidentally, 
but  time  prevented  getting  a  clear  notion  of  the 
contributions  and  characteristics  of  the  various 
nations  in  the  field  of  pottery. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  note  that  these  chikiren, 
so  full  of  questions  about  the  facts  of  pottery 
making,  seemed  quite  uninterested  in  hearing  the 
myth  of  Grandmother  Kaolin  read  to  them. 

CLOTHING— GRADE  W 

Helen  B.  Gover 
Supervisor  Elementary  Industrial  .Arts 
Passaic,  New  Jersey 

Two  of  the  most  surprisingly  successful  projects 
come  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  years  at  Passaic.  The 
first  is  a  work-apron  for  school  use,  tor  which  the 
patterns  are  measured  and  cut  by  each  pupil. 
The  sewing  is  done  by  machine.  The  second  is  a 
study  of  dyes.  Various  articles  such  as  table- 
runners,  neckties,  aprons,  and  collars  are  the 
means  of  using  some  kind  of  textile  decorations. 
Stenciling,  tied-and-dyed  work,  wood-block  print- 
ing, and  embroidery  call  for  the  mixing  and  use 
of  simple  dyes,  and  the  dying  seems  to  form  an 
unending  source  of  delight  on  the  experimental 
side,  some  rather  interesting  results  having  been 
obtained.  In  both  of  these  problems  the  bo\  s  are 
more  interested  than  the  girls.  The  detailed  work 
and  study  included: 
I.   Suhject-matler: 

A.  Linen: 

1.  Industry  in  Europe  and  United  States, 

2.  Processes  ot  manufacture. 

3.  .Advantages  of  linen  over  other  materials. 

4.  Ways  of  adulterating  linen. 

B.  Summary  of  study  of  four  fibers: 

L  Origin.     2.  Uses.     .).  Tests  for  presence  in 
fabrics. 

C.  Dyes: 

L  Sources  of  dyes  in  ancient  times. 
2.  \'egetable  dyes  of  colonial  days. 


30 


INDUSTRIAL  ARTS  IN  OUR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


3.  Modern  coal-tar  dyes: 

a.  Comparison    in    price    and    quality    with 

earlier  dyes. 

b.  Problems  of  manufacture,  German  dyes, 

New  American  industry. 

4.  Ways  of  using  in  textiles: 

a.  Dying  cloth  in  the  piece. 

b.  Dying  the  yarn. 

c.  Printing  patterns. 

d.  Earlier  methods. 


The  important  methods,  which  these 
teachers  are  stressing  in  approaching 
their  so-called  occupational  studies,  may 
be  roughly  classified  as  (1)  industrial, 
(2)  neighborhood,  (3)  evolutionary .  Fig. 
Ill  shows  the  number  and  per  cent  of 
teachers  using  each  method  of  approach. 
The  teachers  who  use   (1),  which  is  re- 


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Fig.  III.     Chart  Showing  Relative  Numbers  of  These  352  Teachers  Stressing  Each  General 

Method  of  Approach  to  Occupational  Studies. 


ported  more  frequently  than  both  of  the 
other  methods  (in  approximately  54  per 
cent  ot  the  cases),  believe  that  the  pupils 
should  understand  the  industries  of  to- 
day and  become  appreciative  users  of 
products  and  service.  The  teachers  who 
use  (2),  which  is  reported  by  over  29 
per  cent  of  the  cases,  insist  that  it  is 
wrong  to  have  the  industrial  studies  take 
the  pupils  beyond  the  first-hand  experi- 
ences of  the  immediate  neighborhood  or 
locality.  While  the  teachers  who  use 
(3),  which  represents  over  16  per  cent 
Although  the  method  of  approach  to  of  those  questioned,  urge  that  the  proper 
these  industrial  arts  studies  varies  some-  appreciation  of  our  industrial  develop- 
what  in  the  different  school  systems,  the  ment  can  be  realized  only  by  having  the 
77iajority  of  the  teachers  are  now  tnaking  pupils  evolve  the  study  from  the  simple 
specific  attempts  to  establish  identity  be-  activities  of  primitive  man  to  the  com- 
tween  the  school  experiences  and  the  occu-  plexities  of  the  present  time. 
pational   activities    in    everyday    life.     In  In   spite  of  thi#  marked  difference  in 

fact,  over  one-half  of  the  teachers  definite-  opinion  as  to  the  best  approach  for  the 
ly  stated  that  these  reproduced  forms  of  study  of  industrial  arts,  94.7  per  cent  of 
occupational  work  make  strong  appeals  to  these  teachers  are  committed  to  giving  some 
the  spontaneous  interests  of  their  ele-  time  to  a  general  understanding  of  the  ma- 
mentary  grade  children.  terials,  processes,  and  problems  involved  in 


D.    Rubber  clothing: 

1.  Crude  rubber  industry. 

2.  Goodyear  and  the  development  of  the  rubber 

industry 
II.  Projects: 

A.  Flax  processes. 

B.  Testing   cloth    for    various   fibers    by   simpler 

methods. 

C.  Aprons,  runners,  and   ties,  tied  and  dyed  in 

colonial  fashion. 

D.  Chart  of  the  rubber  industry; 

Collection   of   rubber   to  show   develop- 
ment from  sap  to  finished  product. 

Variability  in  Methods  of  Approach- 
ing AND  Offering  Industrial  Studies 


METHODS  OF  OFFERING  PROJECT-PROBLEM  INSTRUCTION 


31 


changing  raw  nuilcriah  into  more  valuable 
commercial  products.  Nearly  all  of  them 
also  state,  with  varying  degrees  of  em- 
phasis, that  the  industrial  work  might 
well  be  considered  as  a  i)ica}is  jor  oiriching 
or  vitalizing  several  of  the  other  school  sub- 
jects?^ 

A  wide  range  of  opinion  likewise  exists 
as  to  the  period  above  the  third  grade 
when  the  work  of  boys  and  girls  should 
be  differentiated.  In  the  141  school 
systems  investigated  the  practices  vary 
decidedly,  especially  in  the  fifth  and  sixth 
grades.  Nevertheless,  most  teachers  seem 
anxious  to  offer  types  of  group  and  in- 
dividual experiences  which  will  respect  all 
levels  of  general  and  semi-specialized 
abilities.  Nearly  41  per  cent  of  the 
schools  reporting  state  that  the  industrial 
arts  work  is  offered  in  common  to  girls 
and  boys  thruout  the  first  six  elementary 
grades,  implying  that  they  are  alike  in 
more  ways  than  they  are  different,  al- 
-  tho  the  individual  differences  and  capaci- 
ties are  usually  considered  in  the  pro- 
jects and  problems  developed.  Over  29 
per  cent  ot  these  schools  offer  separate 
courses  in  the  sixth  grade,  several  claim- 
ing that  the  natural  differences  in  the 
interests  and  aptitudes  of  boys  and  girls, 
even  of  this  age,  warrant  this  differentia- 
tion. Approximately  22  per  cent  of  the 
schools  begin  differentiating  their  indus- 
trial arts  courses  in  the  fifth  grade. 
However,  only  7  per  cent  of  these  schools 
make  any  attempt  to  separate  boys  and 
girls  tor  this  work  below  the  fifth  grade. 

Preparation  for  and  Supervision  of 

Elementary  Industrial  Arts 

Instruction 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  a  large 
proportion — over  83  per  cent — of  the 
teachers  represented  by  this  investiga- 
tion received  no  special  training  for  giv- 
ing instruction  in  industrial  arts  in  their 
respective  teacher-training  institutions. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  encouraging  that 
127 — or  approximately  36  per  cent  of  the 


total  352  teachers — report  that  they  have 
since  voluntarily  improved  their  class- 
room work  by  becoming  familiar  with  the 
recent  developments  in  elementary  in- 
dustrial arts  instruction  thru  summer 
courses,  extension   classes,  and   the  like. 

The  amount  and  kind  of  supervision 
which  exist  in  connection  with  the  in- 
dustrial arts  activities  also  differ  mater- 
ially. Over  88  per  cent  of  these  school 
systems  report  that  the  supervision  is  merely 
)io7ninal,  so  far  as  improvement  of  class- 
room instruction  is  concerned.  Teachers 
report  the  greatest  help  and  super- 
visors the  best  results  where  the  special- 
ists take  the  attitude  of  assisting  the 
grade  teachers,  who  naturally  should 
have  the  better  knowledge  of  their  puptils' 
qualities.  While  it  seems  that  several  of 
the  grade  teachers  are  not  sufficiently 
interested  in  the  actual  construction  work 
to  develop  their  own  technic  along  with 
the  pupils,  a  greater  number  of  those 
who  were  not  prepared  reported  that 
they  have  gradually  taken  over  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  giving  the  entire  in- 
struction, thus  relieving  the  specialists 
for  other  duties. 

general  summary 

Finally,  over  two-thirds  ot  the  special 
teachers  and  supervisors  ot  industrial 
arts  questioned  agree  with  the  large 
number  of  classroom  teachers  that,  in 
general,  the  attendant  skill  and  the  related 
information  acquired  thru  the  elementary 
school  period — for  pupils  ranging  from 
approximately  6  to  1 1  years,  inclusive — 
are  to  be  justified  mainly  by  resulting 
growth  in  thinking  power  and  industrial 
intelligence.  In  other  words,  they  are, 
in  the  main,  quite  convinced  that  situa- 
tions., projects,  and  problems  should  pro- 
vide the  kinds  and  qualities  of  knowledge^ 
thinking  power,  and  skill  {or  dexterity) 
ivhich  will  help  pupils  to  establish  those 
habits  and  attitudes  that  contribute  most 
to  their  daily  conduct  as  intelligent  con- 
sumers and  citizens^ 


520S3 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH, 

un!Vehs:ty  of  California, 

LIBRARY, 

iLOS  ANGELES.  CALJF. 


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